The World Bank grants Somalia a $75 million fund to support its path to debt relief. The grant is the second in a series of loans aiding the nation’s eligibility for complete debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative. Somalia enacts crucial legislation and implements ambitious reform programs, signaling progress in institution-building … [Read more…]
Some cities in Niger Republic are experiencing rolling blackouts as a result of the country’s coup last week. The power is only on for roughly an hour at a period for residents of the cities of Niamey, Maradi, and Zinder before being shut off for up to five hours. Power outages like these in Niger … [Read more…]
Any military intervention in Niger to restore deposed President Mohamed Bazoum would be considered a “declaration of war against Burkina Faso and Mali”, the two countries said in a joint statement Monday. The governments of Niger’s two neighbours, both the result of recent military coups, made the comments after West African leaders threatened to use … [Read more…]
West African leaders on Sunday gave the military junta in Niger one week to cede power, warning they did not rule out the “use of force”, and imposed immediate financial sanctions. The 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) demanded the “immediate release and reinstatement” of Niger’s elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, who has been … [Read more…]
Military interregnum in West Africa is a direct consequence of politicians meddling in affairs of the military and security agencies which has thrown organisational discipline out of the door on the altar of political patronage, the Chief of Staff to the Liberian Armed Forces, Maj. Gen. Charles Johnson III has complained. Responding to journalists question … [Read more…]
The military command of Niger announced on Thursday that it supported the coup that was started on Wednesday by members of the presidential guard, stating that maintaining national stability was its top concern. According to a press release from the army chief of staff, the army needed to “preserve the physical integrity” of the president … [Read more…]
Soldiers in Niger claimed to have removed President Mohamed Bazoum from power late on Wednesday, hours after members of the presidential guard detained the politician at his official residence. In a statement broadcast on national television, Colonel-Major Amadou Abdramane said that “the defence and security forces … have decided to put an end to the … [Read more…]
Niger President Mohamed Bazoum on Wednesday was being held by disgruntled members of the elite Presidential Guard, who in turn were given an “ultimatum” by the army, a source close to Bazoum said on Wednesday. The West African bloc ECOWAS condemned what it called an “attempted coup” and called on the “plotters” to release Bazoum … [Read more…]
Residents of Sudan’s capital again awoke to heavy clashes Sunday morning just hours after rival generals agreed to an upcoming one-week ceasefire amid ongoing talks in Saudi Arabia. The ceasefire — the latest following many successive truces that have been systematically violated — is set to go into effect at 9:45 pm (1945 GMT) on … [Read more…]
A month ago, Mohsen Abdelrahman owned a small but profitable jewellery store in Khartoum. Now, he has nothing to his name but a broken lock and a hollowed-out shopfront. Ten days after battles broke out between two rival Sudanese generals, he received a call from the shopkeeper next door to his business saying it had … [Read more…]
Persistent fighting between Sudan’s rival generals undermined efforts to firm up a truce Wednesday, as a senior UN official arrived for talks on providing relief to millions of trapped civilians. The visit by top UN humanitarian official Martin Griffiths comes one day after neighbouring South Sudan announced that the warring sides had agreed “in principle” … [Read more…]
Fighting raged in Sudan on Friday, despite rival forces agreeing to extend a truce aimed to stem nearly two weeks of warfare that has killed hundreds and caused widespread destruction. In the capital Khartoum, where foreign nations are scrambling to organise mass evacuations of their citizens, Turkey’s defence ministry said a military transport aircraft came … [Read more…]