NIAMEY, Niger, Aug 8, 2023 (AFP) – The second-ranking US diplomat met Niger’s military leaders on Monday to press to reverse a coup but reported no headway a day after an ultimatum from the West African bloc was ignored. Victoria Nuland, a veteran envoy and acting deputy secretary of state, said she met for more than two hours with military chiefs who ousted democratically elected Western ally Mohamed Bazoum on July 26. Nuland’s trip, conducted […]
Tag: ECOWAS
Niger closes airspace over ‘threat of intervention’ as junta defies deadline
NIAMEY, Aug 7, 2023 (AFP) – Niger closed its airspace due to the “threat of intervention” as the junta defied a deadline from the West African bloc ECOWAS to reinstate democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum or face possible military action. ECOWAS issued its ultimatum a week ago, demanding the generals relinquish power by midnight Sunday (2300 GMT). Bazoum was overthrown on July 26 when members of his own guard detained him at the presidency. “Faced […]
Mali welcomes lifting of ‘illegal, inhumane’ sanctions
BAMAKO, Mali (AFP) — Mali’s junta said Monday it was “satisfied” by the lifting of “illegal and inhumane” sanctions imposed by West African states in January after two coups in the country. The military-dominated government said in a statement it “notes with satisfaction a convergence of views that has allowed us to reach a compromise” that led to the lifting of the embargo against Mali. It thanked the Malian people for their “sacrifice and resilience” […]





