Africa

Niger Coup: ECOWAS military chiefs to meet in Ghana

Published

2 years ago

August 17, 2023

Niger Coup: ECOWAS military chiefs to meet in Ghana

The military chiefs of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will meet on Thursday and Friday in Accra, Ghana, amid tensions over a possible military intervention in Niger, according to Ghana’s army spokesman.

ECOWAS member states had initially mulled a military intervention against those who carried out Niger’s coup, and the bloc’s heads of state had ordered a military force to be readied to restore constitutional order during a special summit, but they said a peaceful resolution of the conflict should continue to be pursued.

ECOWAS defence ministers and military chiefs already met a week after the coup in Niger and drafted deployment plans after they had issued an ultimatum against the putschists.

Of the 15 ECOWAS members, Nigeria, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Benin and Guinea-Bissau declared their willingness to provide troops in the case of an intervention.

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Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea, which were suspended from ECOWAS after their own coups, as is Niger now, want to support the junta in Niger militarily in the event of an intervention.

Niger, a country with around 26 million inhabitants and one of the poorest populations in the world, was, until the coup, one of the last democratic partners of the United States and Europe in the Sahel region on the southern edge of the Sahara.

The coup has plunged the region into a political crisis.

Former colonial power France and the US have important military bases in the country, which also lies on a key migration route to Europe.

On July 26, the military ousted the president and suspended the constitution.

The putsch leaders have since formed their own transitional government.

Niger Coup: ECOWAS military chiefs to meet in Ghana

(dpa/NAN)

Related Topics:ECOWAS Ghana military chiefs Niger Coup

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Africa

Okada rider allegedly stabbed to death by wife over money

Published

14 hours 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

15 hours 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

5 days 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.”