Why Niger Republic named road after President Buhari – Presidency – Newstrends
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Why Niger Republic named road after President Buhari – Presidency

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Niger Republic named road after President Buhari

The Presidency on Thursday said the naming of a road after President Muhammadu Buhari in Niger Republic was an indication of the tremendous respect which Nigeria’s neighbours have towards him.

Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, Garba Shehu, disclosed this in Niamey, Nigerien capital.

He spoke shortly after Buhari inaugurated the major road named after him.

Shehu said the President of Niger Republic, Mohammed Bazoun, accompanied by the Mayor of Niamey and other officials took Buhari on a tour of the 3.8km boulevard inaugurated in line with the country’s constitutional provisions.

The presidential aide quoted Buhari as expressing satisfaction with the existing bilateral relationship between Nigeria and its neighbours.

Buhari expressed the belief that such ties had helped tremendously, especially in the areas of tackling border insecurity, illegal arms import and smuggling.

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Shehu said Buhari had on assumption of office in 2015 opened up strong dialogue with neighbouring Niger, Benin, Chad and Cameroon, an approach no noted resulted in positive diplomatic ties of mutual interest to both countries.

He said: “President Buhari has strong respect for our neighbours, and he understands the essence of good neighbourliness.

“Before this administration, some of these countries complained that they were not even being talked to by Nigerian leadership. We have opened up dialogue with them and it is paying off.

“We are partnering with them on essential matters, especially on security, tackling smuggling, and importation of illegal weapons, so the partnership is complete.”

The presidential aide believes that Buhari would be leaving behind on May 29, 2023 a solid relationship, built on a solid rock with Nigeria’s neighbours and expected to be built upon by his successor.

The Nigerian leader is in Niamey to join other leaders in the continent for the African Union summit on Industrialisation and Economic Diversification.

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Niger revokes military accord with US, junta spokesperson says

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Niger revokes military accord with US, junta spokesperson says

NIAMEY, March 16 (Reuters) – Niger’s ruling junta has revoked with immediate effect a military accord that allows military personnel and civilian staff from the U.S. Department of Defense on its soil, junta spokesperson Colonel Amadou Abdramane said on Saturday.

The decision follows a visit by U.S. officials this week which was led by Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee and included General Michael Langley, commander of the U.S. Africa Command.

Abdramane, speaking on television in the West African nation, said the U.S. delegation did not follow diplomatic protocol, and that Niger was not informed about the composition of the delegation, the date of its arrival or the agenda.

He added that the discussions were around the current military transition in Niger, military cooperation between the two countries and Niger’s choice of partners in the fight against militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State.

A U.S. official, speaking on the condition anonymity, said senior U.S. officials had “frank discussions” in Niamey earlier this week about the trajectory of Niger’s ruling military council – known as the CNSP.

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“We are in touch with the CNSP and will provide further updates as warranted,” the official added.

Since seizing power in July last year, the Niger junta, like the military rulers in neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso, have kicked out French and other European forces, and turned to Russia for support.

“Niger regrets the intention of the American delegation to deny the sovereign Nigerien people the right to choose their partners and types of partnerships capable of truly helping them fight against terrorism,” Abdramane said.

“Also, the government of Niger forcefully denounces the condescending attitude accompanied by the threat of retaliation from the head of the American delegation towards the Nigerien government and people,” he added.

There were about 1,100 U.S. troops in Niger as of last year, where the U.S. military operates out of two bases, including a drone base known as Air Base 201, built near Agadez in central Niger at a cost of more than $100 million.

Since 2018 the base has been used to target Islamic State militants and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen, an al Qaeda affiliate, in the Sahel region.

Abdramane said the status and presence of U.S. troops in Niger was illegal and violated constitutional and democratic rules because, according to the spokesperson, it was unilaterally imposed on the African nation in 2012.

He said Niger was not aware of the number of U.S. civilian and military personnel on its soil or the amount of equipment deployed and, according to the agreement, the U.S. military had no obligation to respond to any request for help against militants.

“In light of all the above, the government of Niger, revokes with immediate effect the agreement concerning the status of United States military personnel and civilian employees of the American Department of Defense on the territory of the Republic of Niger,” Abdramane said.

Niger revokes military accord with US, junta spokesperson says

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Anti-gay, Lesbian bill: Ghana to lose $3.8billion world bank funding

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Anti-gay, Lesbian bill: Ghana to lose $3.8billion world bank funding

The Ghanian government is posed to lose the total of $3.8 billion in World Bank funding over a recent Anti-LGBTQ bill passed by its parliament last week.

The finance ministry of Ghana has appealed to the president to withhold his signature from the contentious bill against LGBT rights, which was approved by parliament.

According to the BBC, the financial authorities in Ghana is suggesting that President Nana Akufo-Addo postpone the enactment of the bill until a Supreme Court decision verifies its compliance with the constitution.

Meanwhile, human rights organizations filed a legal challenge against the bill even before its approval by parliament, though it’s anticipated that the Supreme Court won’t hear the case for a while.

The US, UK and various human rights groups have already condemned the bill, which was backed by both of Ghana’s two main political parties.

On his part, Akufo-Addo is said to be engaging in consultations with important governmental departments and donors to gauge the effects of the Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values legislation.

According to the IMF, diversity and inclusion are values it embraces.

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“Our internal policies prohibit discrimination based on personal characteristics, including but not limited to gender, gender expression, or sexual orientation. Like institutions, diverse and inclusive economies flourish.

“We are watching recent developments in Ghana closely.

“We cannot comment on a bill that has not yet been signed into law and whose economic and financial implications we have yet to assess,” IMF told Bloomberg in response to the bill.

What you should know
Ghana heavily leans on the IMF for its financial well-being. In the aftermath of a debt default, it requested a $3 billion lifeline and is now involved in the process of rearranging its debt obligations.

On January 19, the IMF sanctioned the disbursement of an additional $600 million to Ghana as part of its three-year crisis intervention plan.

Meanwhile, officials warn that Ghana might forfeit around $850 million in aid this year with the recent bill, a loss expected to further strain the struggling economy, deplete foreign reserves, and impact the stability of the exchange rate.

Uganda adopted a similar policy the last year, imposing stricter penalties that include life imprisonment and even the death penalty. Following this, the nation was subjected to severe economic sanctions from diverse international groups.

The World Bank then stopped its financial support for Uganda in response to concerns over human rights, specifically regarding the country’s anti-homosexuality law.

The United States also removed Uganda from the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a trade initiative started in 2000 aimed at enhancing economic ties between the U.S. and African nations.

Anti-gay, Lesbian bill: Ghana to lose $3.8billion world bank funding

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Human rights violations: US imposes sanctions on Zimbabwe’s president, others

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Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa

Human rights violations: US imposes sanctions on Zimbabwe’s president, others

The United States imposed sanctions on Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa and other senior leaders on Monday, accusing them of human rights violations and corruption.

The penalties, which prohibit any US-based property and unofficial travel to the United States, replace stiffer, two-decade-old sanctions against Zimbabwe.

“The changes we are making today are intended to make clear what has always been true: our sanctions are not intended to target the people of Zimbabwe,” Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said.

“We are refocusing our sanctions on clear and specific targets: President Mnangagwa’s criminal network of government officials and businesspeople who are most responsible for corruption or human rights abuse against the people of Zimbabwe,” he said.

According to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the new measures were part of a “stronger, more targeted sanctions policy” on the Southern African country, as he voiced concern over “serious cases of corruption and human rights abuse.”

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“Key individuals, including members of the government of Zimbabwe, bear responsibility for these actions, including the looting of government coffers that robs Zimbabweans of public resources,” Blinken said in a statement.

“Multiple cases of abductions, physical abuse, and unlawful killing have left citizens living in fear.”

Mnangagwa, whose party has been in power for over four decades, was declared the winner of a new term in an August election that international observers deemed undemocratic.

He is the Southern African country’s second consecutive leader to face US sanctions, following veteran President Robert Mugabe.

Hopes for a thaw rose temporarily when Mnangagwa ousted Mugabe in 2017, but Western powers and rights groups say the new leadership has also cracked down on dissent and protesters.

In a statement issued on Monday, President Joe Biden stopped an earlier sanction programme on the Southern African country imposed in 2003 by George W. Bush, who had urged for a bigger global drive of sanctions against the country under Mugabe.

Human rights violations: US imposes sanctions on Zimbabwe’s president, others

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