Africa

Discrepancies befall Niger coup plotters as former rebel leader forms anti-coup movement

Published

2 years ago

August 9, 2023

Discrepancies befall Niger coup plotters as former rebel leader forms anti-coup movement

Rhissa Ag Boula, a politician and former rebel commander in Niger, has organized a resistance group to oppose the military leaders who plotted the coup that deposed the country’s civilian government on July 26.

The group is the first evidence of internal opposition to the country’s new military government since it gained power.

Ag Boula released a statement on Wednesday, where he said his group, the Council of Resistance for the Republic (CRR) plans to reinstate the ousted President, Mohammed Bazoum, who has been detained by the military government since the takeover, Reuters reports

“Niger is the victim of a tragedy orchestrated by people charged with protecting it,” the statement read.

In the statement, Ag Boula indicated his support for ECOWAS and other international bodies looking to restore constitutional order in the country.

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He added that the CRR would make itself available to any of the bodies for any useful purposes.

Ag Boula’s resistance group comes just as diplomatic efforts to reverse the coup have been unsuccessful following the military government’s rejection of the diplomatic mission from the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Both AU and ECOWAS envoys were denied entry by the military government on Tuesday, resisting pressure to negotiate before a summit on Thursday at which heads of state from the ECOWAS will discuss the possible use of force.

Ag Boula played a leading role in uprisings by Tuaregs, a nomadic ethnic group present in Niger’s desert north, in the 1990s and 2000s.

Like many former rebels, he was integrated into the government under Bazoum and his predecessor, Mahamadou Issoufou.

Discrepancies befall Niger coup plotters as former rebel leader forms anti-coup movement

(TheWhistler)

Related Topics:anti-coup ECOWAS Niger Coup

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Africa

Okada rider allegedly stabbed to death by wife over money

Published

5 days ago

March 31, 2025

Trends Admin

Jeff and Geoffrey Oumaa

Okada rider allegedly stabbed to death by wife over money

A Bodaboda operator identified as Geoffrey Ouma, was allegedly stabbed to death by his wife in their home in Ongata Rongai town, Kenya after he returned with less money than usual.

Witnesses reported that the man fondly called Jeff, had just come back from work, having earned significantly less due to heavy rainfall affecting business.

His wife confronted him about the household items that they lacked and demanded that he provided the money to get them. When he was unable to do so, an argument ensued between them.

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In a fit of rage, she rushed to the kitchen to grab a knife.

Sensing the imminent danger, the Bodaboda operator attempted to flee but slipped and fell on the floor.

The wife then stabbed him in the chest, ending his life instantly.

By the time neighbors arrived, it was too late; he was already dead.

The two have been married for around 5 years and have a child.

It was gathered that the Ongata Rongai Police have arrested the woman.

Okada rider allegedly stabbed to death by wife over money

Africa

W’African juntas impose levy on imported goods from ECOWAS nations

Published

5 days ago

March 31, 2025

Trends Admin

W’African juntas impose levy on imported goods from ECOWAS nations

West African neighbours Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have announced a new 0.5% levy on imported goods as they seek to fund a new three-state union after leaving the larger regional economic bloc, they said in a statement.

The Alliance of Sahel States began in 2023 as a security pact between the military rulers of the three countries, who all took power in coups in recent years.

It has since grown into an aspiring economic union with plans for biometric passports and closer economic and military ties.

The levy was agreed on Friday and will take effect immediately.

It will affect all goods imported from outside the three countries, but will not include humanitarian aid, the statement said.

It will “finance the activities” of the bloc, it said, without giving details.

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The move ends free trade across West Africa, whose states have for decades fallen under the umbrella of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and highlights the rift between the three states that border the Sahara Desert and influential democracies like Nigeria and Ghana to the south.

The juntas of the three countries announced plans to leave ECOWAS last year, accusing the bloc of failing to assist in their fight against Islamist insurgents and ending insecurity.

ECOWAS had imposed economic, political and financial sanctions on the three in a bid to force them to return to constitutional order, to little effect.

Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger are some of the poorest countries in the world and have been overrun by an armed Islamist insurgency over the past decade.

The violence, committed by groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State, has killed thousands, forced millions to flee, and eroded faith in the democratically-elected governments who initially struggled to contain it.

W’African juntas impose levy on imported goods from ECOWAS nations

Africa

Niger coup leader sworn in as president for five years

Published

1 week ago

March 27, 2025

Trends Admin

Niger’s military ruler Gen Abdourahamane Tchiani

Niger coup leader sworn in as president for five years

Niger’s military ruler Gen Abdourahamane Tchiani has been sworn in as the country’s president for a transitional period of five years.

Tchiani has led the country since 2023, after he deposed Niger’s elected president, Mohamed Bazoum.

On Wednesday, Tchiani took the presidential office under a new charter that replaces the West African country’s constitution.

He was also promoted to the highest military rank of army general in the country and signed a decree ordering that all political parties be dissolved.

During the ceremony in Niamey, Tchiani said of his new military rank, “I receive this distinction with great humility… I will strive to live up to the trust placed in me.”

The transition to democratic government is consistent with the recommendations of a commission formed following national deliberations.

The new charter states that this five-year timeframe is “flexible” based on the country’s security position.

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Niger has been plagued by Islamist attacks for years, which was one of the reasons junta officials staged their coup.

The military takeover came after a number of others in the region; adjacent Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso are also ruled by dictatorships.

All four countries have split ties with erstwhile colonial power France, forming new alliances with Russia.

And all save Guinea have pulled out of ECOWAS, the West African regional group.

Niger’s relations with ECOWAS broke down when the junta demanded a three-year transition period to democratic governance directly after the coup.

Ecowas labelled this plot a “provocation” and vowed to interfere with force before eventually backing down.

Gen Tchiani’s regime is prosecuting former President Bazoum on charges of high treason and damaging national security.

Bazoum and his wife remain in the presidential palace, despite the fact that his son was granted provisional freedom in January.

According to state-run news agency ANP, Gen Tchiani stated that Niger’s new charter adheres to traditional constitutions while also implementing “unprecedented measures to protect our natural resources so that Nigeriens truly benefit from the exploitation of their wealth.”