France’s Foreign Ministry responded that Paris only recognizes “the legitimate Nigerien authorities,” dismissing the move by coup leaders. France reiterated its call for “th…
NIAMEY, Niger — Niger’s military junta says it is severing military agreements with France, its former colonial ruler, firing some of the previous government’s key ambassadors and warning citizens of the West African nation to watch for foreign armies and spies. A regional delegation’s efforts at negotiation quickly deadlocked.
Niger’s mutinous soldiers face a Sunday deadline set by the regional bloc known as ECOWAS, whose envoys arrived Thursday for talks. But those discussions stalled, with the delegation unable to meet the coup leader, Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, or go into the capital, Niamey, according to a person with close knowledge of the talks who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to comment.
France’s Foreign Ministry responded that Paris only recognizes “the legitimate Nigerien authorities,” dismissing the move by coup leaders. France reiterated its call for “the re-establishment of the democratic institutions of Niger,” the ministry said. France has 1,500 military personnel in Niger, which had been envisioned as the base for counterterror operations in the region after anti-French sentiments grew elsewhere.
ECOWAS has been unsuccessful in stemming coups and is trying to change course with Niger in a region that has seen five of them in the past three years — two each in Mali and Burkina Faso. “Already they’ve been using the threat of an intervention to try to bolster their legitimacy and rally the population around the flag, quite literally by organizing some major rallies,” Barnett said. “I fear the junta would gladly use its own people as cannon fodder or human shields, and ECOWAS militaries don’t have a good record when it comes to avoiding collateral damage.”“I don’t expect mediation efforts to bear fruit in the short term. The junta is digging in.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Farm Must Pay Over $500K for Skimming Wages of H-2A Foreign Visa WorkersA New Jersey farm has been ordered to pay more than half a million in back wages and fines for skimming wages and not providing sanitary housing for foreign H-2A visa workers it imported to take asparagus-cutting jobs.
Read more »
Pentagon, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs discuss tiesThe Pentagon's top official for Asia spoke with an official from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Pentagon said on Wednesday, in a rare high-level conversation between senior U.S. and Chinese national security officials.
Read more »
EU militaries evacuate foreign nationals from NigerA U.S. pullout from Niger would risk Washington’s longstanding counter-terror investments in the West African country, including a major air base in Agadez that is key to efforts against arme…
Read more »
Paul Hastings lawyer defeats Guo Wengui supporters' foreign agent lawsuitA trustee for Chinese businessman Guo Wengui's bankruptcy estate on Wednesday won dismissal of a lawsuit claiming he was acting as a Chinese agent and persuaded a Manhattan federal judge to sanction the plaintiffs who sued him.
Read more »
Niger's civil society mobilizes the nation to fight for freedom from foreign interferenceNiger’s ruling junta and civil society groups are calling on the nation to mobilize in the capital to fight for the country’s freedom and push back against foreign interference. The march falls on the West African nation’s independence day.
Read more »
Devon Archer says Hunter used Joe Biden as 'defensive leverage' for foreign biz partners, transcript showsDevon Archer told congressional investigators that Hunter Biden used then-Vice President Joe Biden as “defensive leverage' to send “the right signals' to his foreign business partners, while selling him as “the brand' that offered “capabilities and reach,' as well as a “unique understanding of D.C.'
Read more »