Niger

World News

After the coups, West Africa's Brexit moment

6:25am January 31, 2024

by Emmanuel Akinwotu

Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have severed ties from a key West African bloc. Four things you need to know about what the break means for a region destabilized by coups and rising jihadist violence.

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Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum smiles before a working lunch with French President Emmanuel Macron, Feb. 16, 2023 at the Elysee Palace in Paris.

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Niger's coup leaders say they will prosecute deposed President Mohamed Bazou

2:29am August 14, 2023

by The Associated Press

Niger's mutinous soldiers say they will prosecute deposed President Mohamed Bazoum for "high treason" and undermining state security, hours after they said they were open to resolving the crisis.

Mohamed Toumba, one of the soldiers who ousted Nigerian President Mohamed Bazoum, addresses supporters of Niger's ruling junta in Niamey, Niger, Sunday, Aug. 6, 2023.

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Niger's junta shuts airspace as the deadline passes to restore the ousted president

4:11am August 07, 2023

by The Associated Press

Regional tensions have mounted since mutinous soldiers overthrew Niger's democratically elected president nearly two weeks ago and installing the leader of the presidential guard as head of state.

French soldiers assist mostly French nationals in a bus waiting to be airlifted back to France on a French military aircraft, at the international Airport in Niamey, Niger, Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023.

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Foreign nationals are evacuating Niger as regional tensions rise

4:24am August 02, 2023

by The Associated Press

France, Italy and Spain announced evacuations for their citizens and other Europeans. The U.S. has yet to announce evacuation plans for Americans but some have left the with the help of the Europeans.

Nigeriens participate in a march called by supporters of coup leader Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani in Niamey, Niger, Sunday, July 30, 2023. Days after mutinous soldiers ousted Niger's democratically elected president, uncertainty is mounting about the country's future and some are calling out the junta's reasons for seizing control. The sign reads: "Down with France, long live Putin."

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Supporters of Niger's coup march, waving Russian flags and denouncing France

7:12am July 30, 2023

by The Associated Press

Thousands of supporters of the junta that took over Niger in a coup this week marched through the streets of the capital waving Russian flags, chanting Vladimir Putin's name, and denouncing France.

Supporters of the Nigerien defence and security forces gather during a demonstration outside the national assembly in Niamey on July 27, 2023.

A look at what's next for Niger a day after the coup

3:21am July 28, 2023

by Emmanuel Akinwotu

The day after the coup — we look at what's next for U.S. ally Niger in West Africa. It is the ninth coup or attempted power grab in about three years in West and Central Africa.

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A general view of billowing smoke as supporters of Niger's defense and security forces attack the headquarters of the Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism, the party of overthrown President Mohamed Bazoum, in Niamey, Thursday.

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Here's why Niger's coup matters to the U.S.

12:55pm July 27, 2023

by Michele Kelemen

Secretary of State Antony Blinken warns the U.S. partnership with Niger depends on "democratic governance and respect for the rule of law." Niger is vital to U.S. counterterrorism efforts in Africa.

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Supporters of the Nigerien defence and security forces gather during a demonstration outside the national assembly in Niamey on July 27, 2023. The head of Niger's armed forces on July 27, 2023 said he endorsed a declaration by troops who overnight announced they had taken power after detaining the country's elected president, Mohamed Bazoum.

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Niger's military announces coup

9:46am July 27, 2023

Soldiers in Niger have announced a coup, imposing a curfew and closing borders in a country that is a key U.S. ally in West Africa.

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Col. Major Amadou Abdramane, center, is shown speaking during a televised statement. Soldiers claimed on July 26, 2023, to have overthrown the government of Niger President Mohamed Bazoum in a statement read out on national television.

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Niger's military announces a coup on national television

10:50pm July 26, 2023

by Michele Kelemen

The U.S. is calling for the president of Niger to be released after soldiers say they have seized power in a coup in the West African country.

President of Niger Mohamed Bazoum delivers a speech at a financial summit in Paris, June 22. On Wednesday, he said members of the presidential guard tried to move against him.

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Niger's presidential guard has detained President Bazoum, raising fears of a coup

9:58pm July 26, 2023

by Emmanuel Akinwotu

Soldiers from Niger's presidential guard have blockaded the presidential palace, and regional African leaders condemned the move as an "attempted coup."

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