Niger

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Gaetz Alleges 'Massive Cover-Up' by US Over Niger

GOP lawmaker's report says US soldiers aren't getting meds, mail amid confusing situation abroad

(Newser) - US troops in Niger have told GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz that they're "functionally stranded" in the landlocked West African nation, and a new report by the congressman accuses the Biden administration—specifically the State Department—of engaging in a "massive cover-up," per the Intercept . The hubbub...

Volunteers to Help Niger Junta Overwhelm Organizers

US ambassador, delegation from West Africa nations arrive to try to head off fighting

(Newser) - A call for civilians to support Niger's junta against a possible military intervention by West African nations brought too many volunteers to count, resulting in a halt to the process. The crowd gathered Saturday outside a stadium in Niamey was larger than the organizers had anticipated, Reuters reports. "...

Niger's Coup Leaders: We'll Try Deposed Prez for 'High Treason'

New regime says Mohamed Bazoum will face prosecution

(Newser) - Niger's mutinous soldiers said they'll prosecute deposed President Mohamed Bazoum for "high treason" and undermining state security, in an announcement hours after the junta said they were open to dialogue with West African nations to resolve the mounting regional crisis. If found guilty, Bazoum could face the...

Niger's Junta Solidifies Grip
Niger's Junta
Solidifies Grip
Aug 13, 2023 10:10 AM CDT

Niger's Junta Solidifies Grip

US may have to recognize military rulers, analysts say

(Newser) - One week after a deadline passed for mutinous soldiers in Niger to reinstate the country's ousted president or face military intervention, the junta has not acquiesced. No military action has been taken, and the coup leaders appear to have gained the upper hand over the regional group that issued...

Niger's Overthrown President: 'I Write This as a Hostage'
Niger's President:
'I Write This as a Hostage'
OPINION
Aug 4, 2023 6:28 AM CDT

Niger's President: 'I Write This as a Hostage'

Mohamed Bazoum warns of 'devastating consequences' if coup isn't quashed

(Newser) - The overthrown president of Niger, detained by soldiers at the presidential palace in Niamey for the past week, is speaking out via the Washington Post . "I write this as a hostage"—"one of hundreds of citizens who have been arbitrarily and illegally imprisoned," reads the message...

US Orders Partial Embassy Evacuation in Niger

Though the mission will remain open

(Newser) - With coup leaders in Niger refusing to back down and the French embassy in the country having been attacked Sunday, the United States has ordered some of the staff of its embassy in the country to be evacuated. "Given ongoing developments in Niger and out of an abundance of...

6 African Nations Now Form a Continent-Wide 'Coup Belt'

From Sudan in the east to Guinea in the west

(Newser) - Take a map of Africa, shade in the nations that have had military coups over the last few years, and you'll see the pattern: It's what Declan Walsh in the New York Times calls a "coup belt" stretching across the entire continent. It goes from Guinea on...

West Africa Gives Niger Coup Leaders an Ultimatum

They have 7 days to reinstate President Mohammed Bazoum

(Newser) - West African nations have given Niger's coup leaders one week to reinstate President Mohammed Bazoum. Should that not come to pass, "the use of force" could follow, warned the 15-nation regional bloc known as ECOWAS on Sunday. The development came two days after the soldiers who staged the...

Coup Leaders Introduce Niger's New Ruler

Commander of presidential guard, which is detaining the president, will run transitional body

(Newser) - The soldiers who staged a coup returned to TV on Friday, telling Niger that the commander of the presidential guard is the nation's new leader. Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane, who also spoke to the nation on Wednesday to announce the overthrow , said on state television that Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani...

Niger Soldiers Tell Nation They 'Put an End to the Regime'

President Mohamed Bazoum apparently is being held by guards

(Newser) - A group of soldiers in Niger said Wednesday on national TV that they had successfully carried out a coup—suspending all national institutions and closing the nation's land borders. Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane, with nine uniformed men standing behind him, announced that the constitution is no longer in effect,...

Kidnapped in 2016, US Aid Worker Is Freed

Jeff Woodke was held hostage in Niger by unknown group

(Newser) - An American aid worker who was kidnapped in the West African nation of Niger more than six years ago has been released from custody, the Biden administration said Monday. "I'm gratified & relieved to see the release of U.S. hostage Jeff Woodke after over 6 years in...

'They Were All Dead': SEAL Team Saves US Missionary

Philip Walton is rescued from captors in Nigeria, officials say

(Newser) - The Navy's elite SEAL Team 6 rescued an American hostage Saturday in an operation that apparently killed most of his captors, ABC News reports. According to US officials, the commandos managed to free 27-year-old Philip Walton in Nigeria while killing six of his seven captors. "They were all...

20 Die in Stampede for Food Aid at Refugee Camp

Refugees in Niger hadn't received food previous day

(Newser) - A local official says at least 20 people died in a stampede in Niger as they were being given food and goods at a refugee camp. Diffa governor Issa Lamine says 15 women and five children were killed and 16 others were injured Monday at the camp in the southeast...

Report: Deadly Niger Ambush Caused by Numerous Failures

Investigators interviewed 143 witnesses, examined evidence

(Newser) - The Defense Department found no single cause, but rather “individual, organizational and institutional” errors, including insufficient training and preparation, caused the death of four US soldiers and at least five Nigerien soldiers in a bloody Special Forces mission in Niger, according to an eight-page summary report. The Oct. 4...

Report: Soldier Ambushed in Niger Wasn't Captured

Investigation found Sgt. La David T Johnson fought to the end

(Newser) - An American soldier killed during an ambush in Niger with three comrades wasn't captured alive by the enemy or executed at close range, the AP has learned. A military investigation found evidence he apparently fought to the end. Dispelling a swirl of rumors about how Sgt. La David T...

More Remains of US Soldier Killed in Niger Ambush Found

What exactly happened to Sgt. La David Johnson remains a mystery

(Newser) - The military and an FBI team that traveled to the site of an October ambush in Niger have found more remains of Sgt. La David Johnson, who was killed in the ambush, CBS Miami reports. His body was recovered by African forces two days after the attack, his hands tied...

Report: US Soldier Was Bound, Executed

Villagers in Niger say he was found 2 days after ambush

(Newser) - Sgt. La David Johnson, one of four American soldiers killed after an ambush in Niger last month, was found with his hands tied after having apparently been executed by militants, villagers say. Tongo Tongo resident Adamou Boubacar tells the Washington Post that children found Johnson's body two days after...

Report: Niger Militants Kidnapped US Soldier

Sergeant's body was found 2 days later

(Newser) - One of four American soldiers killed in Niger last month may have been kidnapped by ISIS-linked militants before he was executed, sources say. A village elder in northern Niger tells CBS that a battle raged for more than two hours after a group of Green Berets was ambushed by attackers...

Nigerien Soldier: Ambushed Troops 'Ready to Fight Till End'

Meanwhile, officials and lawmakers seek answers in 'shifting narrative' of Oct. 4 attack

(Newser) - New details have emerged regarding the attack that left four US soldiers dead in Niger, labeled by some as a "massive intelligence failure." Per the New York Times , which interviewed military officers, Pentagon officials, and lawmakers, Staff Sgt. Bryan Black, Staff Sgt. Jeremiah Johnson, Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright,...

Official: US Believes Villager Set Niger Ambush in Motion

Slain soldiers had little to no combat experience

(Newser) - The US military believes someone in a Niger village may have tipped off attackers to the presence of US commandos and Nigerien forces in the area, setting in motion the ambush that killed four Americans, a senior defense official said Tuesday. The official says the Army Green Berets and about...

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