West African Bloc Names Three Leaders to Negotiate Democratic Transition in Niger
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) chose the leaders of Benin, Sierra Leone, and Togo to reach a roadmap toward a democratic transition in Niger, which underwent a coup in July; ECOWAS said that it would ease economic sanctions on Niger if the countries could make progress in the roadmap (Reuters)
Burkina Faso Removes French as Official Language
The downgrading of French to the designation of “working language” further solidified the junta’s split with France and the country’s colonial past (Africa News)
Chad, Mauritania Considering Dissolving G5 Sahel Counterinsurgency Group
The other three founders of the G5 Sahel Joint Force have already announced they would quit the alliance, which included an anti-extremism task force backed by France; Mali left the group in 2022, while Burkina Faso and Niger announced last week that they are leaving (AFP)
The three countries have accused France’s role in the region of contributing to the G5’s inefficacy (VoA)
Niger Junta Scraps Two Military Cooperation Deals With European Union
Niger had been a major European security partner in Africa’s Sahel region before the country’s July coup; the announcement yesterday to end the cooperation deals came after Niger’s junta hosted Russian officials on Sunday (AP)
Additionally, authorities are investigating an accidental military drone strike on a Muslim festival in northwest Kaduna State that residents said killed at least eighty-five people on Sunday; the president’s office said the incident was “unfortunate, disturbing, and painful” (AFP)
Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger Look to Form a Federation
The three countries’ foreign ministers recommended forming a federation, which would build on a mutual defense pact and alliance the three juntas previously agreed to (Africa News)
Niger Junta Repeals Law Against Migrant Smuggling
The eight-year-old law had significantly reduced the number of migrants and asylum seekers who were smuggled through Niger in an attempt to reach Europe (BBC)
Mohamed Bazoum, Niger’s president until he was ousted in a July coup, had cooperated with European governments to stem migrant flows across the Mediterranean; after the coup, the EU suspended security cooperation with Niger (France24)
Armed Groups Kill At Least Forty in Burkina Faso Attack
According to the United Nations, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM) attacked a military base, residential area, and internally displaced people’s camp in Djibo; another forty-two people were injured in the attack (AFP)
Three Sahelian Junta Leaders Meet to Strengthen Alliance
Nigerien junta leader General Abdourahmane Tchiani met with his Burkina Faso and Mali counterparts to pledge more cooperation as part of their newly formed, three-member Alliance of Sahel States (AP)
Unprecedented Power Cuts Threaten Mali’s Economy
The electricity crisis has begun to erode public support for the junta, with some citizens now openly criticizing the government (VOA)
UN Hands Over Control of Ninth Base to Mali’s Junta
The handover leaves just three bases under MINUSMA control, as the peacekeeping mission aims to complete its withdrawal by December 31 (AFP)
Mali Junta Seizes Northern Rebel Stronghold of Kidal
The victory is a major symbolic success for the junta as the UN withdraws from the area; the Tuareg rebels confirmed they had withdrawn but vowed to keep fighting (AFP)
Former Ivoirian PM Claims to Hold Talks with Niger Junta
Former Ivorian prime minister Guillaume Soro said he met with “the president of the Nigerien transition” and other officials for ninety minutes shortly after announcing his return from self-imposed exile (AFP)
EU Calls for Investigation into Burkina Faso ‘Massacre’ Last Week
A spokesperson for European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called for a probe into reports that about one hundred civilians were killed in a massacre last week in a village in central-east Burkina Faso (AFP)
Meanwhile, Malian officials said fighting had resumed in the country’s north around the town of Kidal (AFP)
Drone Strikes Kill Twelve Civilians in Northern Mali
Experts warn the town of Kidal, a stronghold of the Tuareg rebels that the UN is withdrawing from, could become the epicenter of a war (Reuters)
Mali’s military regime has rejected reports of it targeting civilians and working with Russia’s Wagner Group (AFP)
Meanwhile, Burkina Faso and Russia discussed closer military cooperation during a meeting in Moscow (AFP)
At Least Twenty-Two UN Peacekeepers Injured by IEDs in Northern Mali
The convoy was hit by two improvised explosive devices while withdrawing from Kidal; six incidents injured a combined thirty-nine peacekeepers during the retreat (Al Jazeera)
Meanwhile, Niger’s military regime asked Togo to serve as a mediator between it and countries that have sanctioned it, while ousted President Mohamed Bazoum’s lawyers asked a regional court to reinstate him (AFP;Africa News)
U.S. Removes Niger From African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA)
The United States will remove the Central African Republic (CAR), Gabon, Niger, and Uganda from the trade program over “gross violations” of human rights in CAR and Uganda, as well as Niger and Gabon’s failure to make progress on political pluralism and the rule of law, President Joe Biden said (Reuters)
Niger’s Economy in Crisis Since July Coup
Sanctions and a suspension of international aid by many partners have forced Niger’s junta to cut the national budget by 40 percent, and the World Bank estimates its GDP will drop by 2.3 percent this year in the absence of sanctions relief (AFP)
UN Mission in Mali Forced to Rush Withdrawal
MINUSMA has had to sabotage equipment left behind amid escalating fighting in the north of the country, and peacekeepers have had to withdraw via the dangerous road route due to a lack of flight permits (AFP)
Meanwhile, Cameroon requested that Chad remove its forces from an island in Lake Chad where they have been fighting Boko Haram since 2014 with Cameroon’s permission (VOA)
U.S. Department of State Formally Concludes a Coup Occurred in Gabon
Under U.S. law, this finding requires ending non-humanitarian aid to the country; the United States said last month that it had paused some foreign assistance programs to Gabon (BBC)
EU Approves Framework for Sanctioning Niger Junta
The European Union (EU) framework allows for the sanctioning of individuals and groups whose actions threaten peace and stability in Niger; it aims to mirror and strengthen measures taken by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) after Niger’s coup in July (Reuters)
U.S. Signals Intention to Engage With Niger Junta
President Joe Biden’s special assistant on Africa said the United States would pursue pragmatic relations with the junta despite strains, saying it could not simply walk away from Niger amid security concerns (FT)
The position contrasts with that of France, which severed ties with Niger and today completed its troop withdrawal from a base in the north of the country (AP)
Meanwhile, Chad’s transitional government installed a civilian defense minister amid demonstrations alleging the government is silencing opposition ahead of a constitutional referendum that will pave the way for a November 2024 election (VOA)
Niger Junta Claims It Blocked Former President From Escaping Residence
The country’s ruling military government said it blocked an attempt by ousted former President Mohamed Bazoum to escape his residence; his lawyer said he was being held without access to the outside (Bloomberg)
First French Convoy Arrives in Chad From Niger
After nine days on the road, the convoy arrived in N’Djamena, where the withdrawing troops will depart by air to France; France will repatriate troops and equipment in Niger via Chad and Cameroon, a land journey that crosses thousands of kilometers through areas known to harbor militant groups, after Niger’s ruling junta demanded they leave (AFP)
UN Peacekeepers Withdraw from Two More Bases in Northern Mali
Attacks in northern Mali have more than doubled since the UN began its withdrawal, and a Malian military aircraft came under fire as it landed in Tessalit camp, one of the bases the UN departed, underscoring increasing instability (AP)
Meanwhile, six soldiers and thirty-one militants were killed in fighting in western Niger (AFP)
Wagner Allegedly Leading Malian Offensive
The group is reportedly supporting junta leader Assimi Goïta’s forces in their attempt to seize Kidal (Africa Report)