Burkina Faso,Mali & Guinea express solidarity w/ Niger🇳🇪 and warn that ANY military intervention against Niger is a DECLARATION OF WAR | Algeria joins

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Talks between regional bloc and Niger's junta yield little, an official tells The Associated Press

An official present at talks between Niger’s mutinous soldiers and a delegation from West Africa’s regional bloc tells The Associated Press that talks Saturday yielded little and that the soldiers are under pressure from regional sanctions as they refuse to reinstate the country’s president whom the

apnews.com

Talks between regional bloc and Niger’s junta yield little, an official tells The Associated Press

From left; President of the ECOWAS Commission, Mousa Tourey, ECOWAS Special Envoy to Republic of Niger, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, Niger ousted President Mohamed Bazoum and Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Muhammad Saad Abubakar III, pose in Niamey, Niger, Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. An official present at talks between Niger’s mutinous soldiers and a delegation from West Africa’s regional bloc tells The Associated Press that talks Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023, yielded little and that the soldiers are under pressure from regional sanctions as they refuse to reinstate the country’s president whom they toppled nearly a month ago while being fearful of attacks from France.. (AP Photo, File)

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Mutinous soldiers in Niger are under pressure from regional sanctions as they refuse to reinstate the country’s president whom they toppled nearly a month ago while being fearful of attacks from France, an official said.

The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity after Saturday’s meeting between Niger’s new military regime and a delegation from the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS.

He said the roughly two-hour discussion aimed at finding a peaceful solution to the country’s deepening crisis, yielded little with no clarity on the next steps. It was the first time head of the junta, Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, met with the delegation after rebuffing previous attempts.

Saturday’s meeting was a last-ditch diplomacy scramble by the bloc to resolve the crisis peacefully and followed last week’s announcement that 11 of its 15 member states had agreed to intervene militarily if democratically-elected President Bazoum was not released from house arrest and reinstated.

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The bloc’s three other countries under military rule following coups, Guinea, Mali and Burkina Faso, were not included. The latter two had previously warned they would consider intervention in Niger an act of war.

On August 10, ECOWAS ordered the deployment of a “standby force” to go into Niger and restore constitutional rule. It’s unclear if and when the troops would intervene.

During the talks, Tchiani pushed for the lifting of economic and travel sanctions imposed by ECOWAS after the coup, saying Niger’s population was suffering because of them, but he was unwilling to give much in return, said the official. The junta said they were under pressure, at times striking a conciliatory tone and apologizing for past disrespect towards the bloc, while also defiantly standing by its decision to overthrow Bazoum and unequivocal about him not returning to power, the official added.

Tchiani also repeatedly expressed concerns that its former colonial ruler France — which has some 1,500 troops in the country and had been providing training and conducting joint operations with Niger’s military — was actively planning an attack, said the official.

Niger was seen by many Western countries as the last democratic partner in the region it could work with to beat back a growing jihadi insurgency by militant groups linked with al-Qaida and the Islamic State. France, the United States and other European nations have poured hundreds of millions of dollars into shoring up Niger’s army and the coup has been seen as a major setback.

Sahel experts say it’s not surprising that nothing came from Saturday’s meeting as each party is trying to show they’re open to discussions, yet the chances of an agreement are slim because their positions are starkly different.

“ECOWAS and the rest of the international community want to restore President Bazoum and the junta is not on this agenda,” said Seidik Abba, a Nigerien researcher and Sahel specialist and president of the International Center for Reflection for Studies On the Sahel, a think tank based In Paris. “The next step will be military confrontation … What we don’t know is when this confrontation will take place, how it will go, and what the consequences will be,” he said.

Shortly after the meetings Saturday, Tchiani went on state television and laid out a roadmap for the country, saying it would return to civilian rule within three years and that details for the plan would be decided within 30 days through a national dialogue set to launch immediately.

“I am convinced that we will find solutions to all the challenges we face and that we will work together to find a way out of the crisis, in the interests of all,” he said.

Transitions for Niger’s multiple previous coups were shorter, so a three-year timeline is unprecedented said Aneliese Bernard, a former U.S. State Department official who specializes in African affairs and is now director of Strategic Stabilization Advisors, a risk advisory group. “What we’re seeing in the region is the emergence of trends just to military rule,” she said.

But some Nigerien soldiers don’t think Tchiani will last three months, let alone several years.

A soldier who worked directly with Bazoum before the coup, and did not want to be named for fear of his safety, told the AP Saturday that there are deep divisions within the presidential guard — the unit that overthrew Bazoum — and within the junta itself.

Of the nearly 1,000 soldiers at the base on the presidential complex, the majority would flee if ECOWAS attacked, he said. He gave Tchiani a few months before he too is overthrown.

Tchiani is widely unpopular in security circles within Niger and seen as having reached his current post because of former president Mahamadou Issoufou’s patronage, rather than through his own connections and battlefield achievements, said Andrew Lebovich, a research fellow with the Clingendael Institute.

“While the (junta) has presented a unified public face, it is a partnership of branches of the armed forces that have competed for status and resources in the recent past and further,” he said.

 

[Scientific Playa]

Slightly off topic but impressive.

• Athletics

Triple jumper Zango soars to Burkina Faso's first-ever world gold​

By Lori Ewing
August 21, 20236:00 PM

[2/5]Athletics - World Athletics Championship - Men's Triple Jump Final - National Athletics Centre, Budapest, Hungary - August 21, 2023 Burkina Faso's Hugues Fabrice Zango celebrates winning gold alongside silver medallist Cuba's Lazaro Martinez and bronze medallist Cuba's Cristian Napoles Acquire Licensing Rights Read more

BUDAPEST, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Burkina Faso's Hugues Fabrice Zango soared to victory in the men's triple jump for the country's first-ever World Athletics Championships gold on Monday, while 18-year-old title favourite Jaydon Hibbert of Jamaica pulled out injured.
"Look at my big, big, big smiling mouth," Zango said. "It tells you everything. I had so many difficulties and doubts, I have been struggling a lot. I had to travel a very long way to get this gold medal.

"I am proud to be the man who keeps his word. I promised to make history and I did it tonight."
Zango, ranked No. 2 in the world, jumped 17.64 metres on his fifth of six attempts to overtake Cuba's Lazaro Martinez, who won silver with 17.41 after fouling on three of his attempts. Martinez edged team mate Cristian Napoles who jumped 17.40.
The world gold was the first in triple jump for any African nation, Zango pointed out.

"I cannot imagine the level of celebration in my country when I go back home but I'm going to start the celebrations in Budapest," he said.
"We have some troubles in our country now and it is an incredible mission to bring some positive emotions to them."
The 30-year-old Zango won his country's first Olympic medal with bronze in Tokyo. He was the silver medallist at the 2022 worlds and third in 2019.

Hibbert, who has the best jump in the world this season - 17.87 - ran through the pit on his first attempt and clutched his hamstring.
"I planted my leg on the board and just felt a cramp in my hamstring," Hibbert said. "I do not know why it happened because I felt great and ready during warm-up."
He received treatment but then withdrew from the competition, receiving consolatory handshakes from the other jumpers after he tugged off his spikes.

"I had a great season, and I'm not disappointed now. I know I could fight for a medal here but the most important thing is that I gained experience at this level," Hibbert said.
"I need to move on now, focus is on recovery and on next season. I will be OK. I will bounce back."

Reporting by Lori Ewing; Editing by Ken Ferris
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

 

[Premeditated]

Slightly off topic but impressive.

• Athletics

Triple jumper Zango soars to Burkina Faso's first-ever world gold​

By Lori Ewing
August 21, 20236:00 PM

[2/5]Athletics - World Athletics Championship - Men's Triple Jump Final - National Athletics Centre, Budapest, Hungary - August 21, 2023 Burkina Faso's Hugues Fabrice Zango celebrates winning gold alongside silver medallist Cuba's Lazaro Martinez and bronze medallist Cuba's Cristian Napoles Acquire Licensing Rights Read more

BUDAPEST, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Burkina Faso's Hugues Fabrice Zango soared to victory in the men's triple jump for the country's first-ever World Athletics Championships gold on Monday, while 18-year-old title favourite Jaydon Hibbert of Jamaica pulled out injured.
"Look at my big, big, big smiling mouth," Zango said. "It tells you everything. I had so many difficulties and doubts, I have been struggling a lot. I had to travel a very long way to get this gold medal.

"I am proud to be the man who keeps his word. I promised to make history and I did it tonight."
Zango, ranked No. 2 in the world, jumped 17.64 metres on his fifth of six attempts to overtake Cuba's Lazaro Martinez, who won silver with 17.41 after fouling on three of his attempts. Martinez edged team mate Cristian Napoles who jumped 17.40.
The world gold was the first in triple jump for any African nation, Zango pointed out.

"I cannot imagine the level of celebration in my country when I go back home but I'm going to start the celebrations in Budapest," he said.
"We have some troubles in our country now and it is an incredible mission to bring some positive emotions to them."
The 30-year-old Zango won his country's first Olympic medal with bronze in Tokyo. He was the silver medallist at the 2022 worlds and third in 2019.

Hibbert, who has the best jump in the world this season - 17.87 - ran through the pit on his first attempt and clutched his hamstring.
"I planted my leg on the board and just felt a cramp in my hamstring," Hibbert said. "I do not know why it happened because I felt great and ready during warm-up."
He received treatment but then withdrew from the competition, receiving consolatory handshakes from the other jumpers after he tugged off his spikes.

"I had a great season, and I'm not disappointed now. I know I could fight for a medal here but the most important thing is that I gained experience at this level," Hibbert said.
"I need to move on now, focus is on recovery and on next season. I will be OK. I will bounce back."

Reporting by Lori Ewing; Editing by Ken Ferris
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

nice. in the future, I see west african countries doing good in track as the sport infrastructure improves

some more Burkina Faso development

 

[loyola llothta]

 

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Thoughts and prayers to the Wagner fans in here

 

[☑︎#VoteDemocrat]

Oh wow...so Wagner was being displaced by the Russian military GRU in Africa and Wagner was trying to prevent that...

 

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[Paradoxx]

fukk those Russian flags and especially fukk France

But absolutely want to see more aggression towards them

 

[invalid]

Pretty sure this is propaganda from Peter Obi's camp but...

 

[☑︎#VoteDemocrat]

Y’all were defending this shythead stealing from Niger

 

[BobbyWojak]

Y’all were defending this shythead stealing from Niger

That isn't stealing, wasn't that his pay?

These nations overcommitted to Wagner in exchange for growing military competency, not an ideal situation, but it's not 'stealing'.

Wagner is shyt, but their availability is good for African autonomy.


From the article (no paywall, fukk nap)

Many of the deals he struck with foreign governments were conducted on a handshake basis, with the details unknown beyond a tiny circle of Wagner officials handpicked by Prigozhin. One was Dmitry Utkin, the former GRU officer whose Nazi tattoos can be seen in photographs, who also died in Wednesday’s plane crash.

His death leaves the future of those businesses uncertain. The Kremlin now seeks to nationalize an opaque network centralized around Prigozhin’s personal authority.

Yet new mercenary companies, run by Russia’s GRU military-intelligence agency, were competing to take over Wagner’s contracts. Putin had personally told Touadera, the Central African Republic president, that the time had come to distance himself from Prigozhin. When Touadera visited Prigozhin’s hometown of St. Petersburg for a conference last month, he abstained from taking a selfie with the Russian warlord.