Africa

Coup: French soldiers, ambassador will depart Niger – Macron

Published

7 months ago

September 25, 2023

France President, Emmanuel Macron

Coup: French soldiers, ambassador will depart Niger – Macron

President Emmanuel Macron has said France will withdraw its ambassador and end all military co-operation with Niger following a coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26.

“France has decided to withdraw its ambassador. In the next hours our ambassador and several diplomats will return to France,” Macron said.

He added that military co-operation was “over” and French troops would leave in “the months to come”.

The military junta which seized power in Niger in July welcomed the move, according to BBC.

“This Sunday we celebrate a new step towards the sovereignty of Niger,” the junta said in a statement.

There are about 1,500 French soldiers in the landlocked West African country helping to fight Islamist militants.

READ ALSO:

Also, the United States has more than 1,000 troops in Niger but these have not been asked to leave.

The decision by Paris follows months of animosity and protests against the French presence in its former colony, with regular demonstrations in the capital Niamey.

The move dealt a blow to France’s operations against jihadists in the wider Sahel region and Paris’ influence there.

But Macron said France would “not be held hostage by the putschists,” speaking to France’s TF1 and France 2 television stations.

The French President said he still regarded deposed Niger leader Bazoum, currently held prisoner by the coup leaders, as the country’s “sole legitimate authority” and had informed him of his decision. He described the deposed president as a “hostage”.

“He was targeted by this coup d’etat because he was carrying out courageous reforms and because there was a largely ethnic settling of scores and a lot of political cowardice,” he said.

Niger is one of several former French colonies in West and Central Africa where the military has recently seized control – it follows Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali and Chad. The latest coup was in Gabon in August.

Coup: French soldiers, ambassador will depart Niger – Macron

Africa

Man who has lived in America for over 13 years says he’s tired, wants to return home

Published

2 days ago

May 1, 2024

Trends Admin

Man who has lived in America for over 13 years says he’s tired, wants to return home

After 13 years of residing in the United States of America, a Kenyan man has expressed his strong desire to return to his homeland.

The man, whose identity remains undisclosed, reportedly relocated to the US in 2011, initially serving in the military for four years before transitioning into corporate employment.

During his time in the US, he held various positions, including a deployment in Afghanistan, and was earning a substantial salary of $12,000 per month.

READ ALSO:

However, despite the financial security, he found himself grappling with a sense of unfulfillment, realizing that he was sacrificing his most valuable asset (time) for a pursuit that left him with little satisfaction.

In December of the previous year, he reportedly resigned from his corporate job and delve into entrepreneurship, seeking freedom and autonomy in his endeavors.

Man who has lived in America for over 13 years says he’s tired, wants to return home

Africa

23 killed in violent clashes over cattle in South Sudan

Published

3 days ago

April 30, 2024

Trends Admin

At least 23 people were killed and 44 were injured in violent clashes between different ethnic groups over cattle theft in South Sudan, a local official said on Tuesday.

Heavily armed cattle thieves attacked a village in the state of Eastern Equatoria, a local administration spokesman said.

Hundreds of cattle were stolen during the raid.

READ ALSO:

Seven children and five women were also abducted during the attack.

Members of the Murle ethnic group were armed with machine guns and other rapid-fire weapons, he said.

The latest incident comes after other, deadly attacks relating to cattle theft in South Sudan.

Several ethnic groups in South Sudan breed cattle, with farming not only key for economic reasons and critical to prosperity, but also deeply embedded in their culture.

23 killed in violent clashes over cattle in South Sudan

(dpa/NAN)

Africa

Electricity crisis forces Energy minister to resign

Published

5 days ago

April 28, 2024

Trends Admin

Electricity crisis forces Energy minister to resign

Following weeks of disruption, electricity supply has been finally restored in most cities across Sierra Leone after a part payment was made for the $48m (£38m) utility bill it owed to a Turkish company, Karpowership.

The payment of the sum of $18m comes as the country’s energy minister, Kanja Sesay announced his exit from government, saying he took full responsibility for the crisis.

Most electricity supplies to the capital, Freetown, is generated from a Turkish ship floating off the country’s coast.

Last week, Karpowership said it had severely cut supplies to the city, from 60 megawatts to 6 megawatt, citing backlog of unpaid bills.

Residents of the country’s main cities have been going for days on end without any power and hospitals have also been affected.

READ ALSO:

At least one infant has died because of a lack of power, while medics have been using mobile phones to provide light as they carry out procedures, Reuters news agency quotes a doctor as saying.

“How do you iron your clothes, how do you make your food, how do you go to sleep? We pay our electricity bills so I don’t see why we should be forced to live like this,” BBC quoted a second-year engineering student in Freetown, Fatmata Gassim as saying.

Following the resignation of Sesay, the office of President Julius Maada Bio said the energy ministry would now fall under the direct supervision of the president.

Karpowership previously cut supplies to Sierra Leone in September over unpaid bills.

It is one of the world’s biggest floating power plant operators, with several African states relying on it for electricity.

In October, it briefly cut power to Guinea-Bissau, saying it had no option “following a protracted period of non-payment”.