First Independent Mena Newspaper
China’s long-held strategy of “regime-agnostic” engagement in Africa is under strain as mounting instability in Niger threatens billions in Chinese investments, says a new study. A new report by the Washington-based Africa Center for Strategic Studies warns that China’s transactional diplomacy — prioritizing control over constitutional legitimacy — has left its state-owned enterprises (SOEs) vulnerable […]
At least 17 Nigerian soldiers were killed in coordinated attacks by armed gangs on three army bases in Niger and Kaduna states on Tuesday (24 June), highlighting a worsening security crisis in the country’s north. The attackers, described by officials as heavily armed “bandits,” overwhelmed remote military outposts in fierce battles lasting hours. “These were […]
Niger’s military regime has nationalized Somaïr, the subsidiary of French uranium giant Orano, escalating tensions between Niamey and Paris in a move that symbolizes the regime’s sovereignty-focused policies since taking power in 2023. The nationalization announcement, delivered through state television during a council of ministers report, cited Orano’s “irresponsible, illegal and disloyal behavior” and characterized […]
Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda affiliate, has emerged as the most powerful militant force in West Africa, now commanding up to 6,000 fighters and staging coordinated, high-impact attacks across the Sahel, experts warn. According new analysis titled ‘JNIM Expanding Geographic Reach and Staging Coordinated Attacks in the Sahel’, JNIM’s recent assaults in Timbuktu […]
In a dramatic pivot away from traditional regional alliances, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have deepened their collaboration under the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), aiming to reclaim sovereignty and reshape their economic future, including through the planned launch of common currency. Born out of frustration with ECOWAS and external pressures, the AES is fast-tracking […]
Boko Haram, a self-proclaimed jihadist militant group, has reportedly resurged in Cameroon’s Far North, escalating attacks and plunging the region into renewed insecurity. Despite earlier joint military successes by Nigeria, Chad, Niger, and Cameroon, fractures within the Lake Chad Basin Commission and fragile civilian protection have allowed the Islamist group to regain strength. In recent […]
Niger has lost interest in the stalling trans-Saharan gas pipeline that was planned to link Nigeria to Algeria. Media reports said Niger stopped studies for the project that took decades with no progress so far. The decision takes place amid deteriorating political ties with Algeria, who is accused by Niger and its other Sahel allies, […]
Niger authorities have reaffirmed their condemnation of Algeria’s mistreatment of African migrants, as authorities rounds up migrants Niger’s official media relayed the condemnation by senior officials including the country’s interior minister, who complained to the International Organization for Migration. At least 5000 African migrants have been bussed in inhumane conditions and abandoned in the harsh […]
President of Ghana, John Mahama has expressed on April 22 disappointment at the decision by Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger to withdraw from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), calling the move “regrettable.” Speaking at the launch of ECOWAS’s 50th anniversary celebrations in Accra on Tuesday, Mahama emphasized that diplomacy should focus on […]
Militant Islamist violence continues to escalate in the Sahel, shifting southward and westward to increasingly threaten security of coastal West African nations, according to a new report by Africa Center for Strategic Studies (ACSS). Countries like Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger remain at the epicenter of this violent surge, with fatalities and militant activity hitting […]