Update: Niger coup leaders request assistance from Wagner as ECOWAS deadline to reinstate elected government or face military intervention ends tomorrow

[CitizenVectron]

Niger’s president ‘held by guards’ in apparent coup attempt

WWW.ALJAZEERA.COM

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Presidency says army ready to attack if guards do not back down, as regional bloc sends diplomat on mediation mission.

 

Niger’s army pledges allegiance to coup makers

WWW.ALJAZEERA.COM

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Army chief says in a statement the decision was necessary to avoid fighting within the armed forces.

 

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Niger's army has declared allegiance to the defence and security forces that overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum, according to a statement signed by Abdou Sidikou Issa, the army chief of staff.

 

Thursday's statement, posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, said the decision was necessary to "avoid a deadly confrontation between the various forces".

Members of the Presidential Guard had detained Bazoum inside his palace in the capital, Niamey, early on Wednesday.

 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

It's the seventh (or ninth, depending on whether coup attempts in the same country count twice) military coup in Western or Central Africa since 2020.

 

Niger coup: List of recent military takeovers in West and Central Africa

WWW.REUTERS.COM

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Niger's presidential guards were holding President Mohamed Bazoum inside his palace in the capital Niamey on Wednesday, in what the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union are calling an attempted coup.

 

 

And to no one's surprise, there appears to be a Wagner connection as it operates in several neighboring countries and Bazoum was critical of their presence in Mali:

 

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“Wagner is certainly a very real presence in our region,” Mr Bazoum said during a visit to London. “They are in Libya, which continues to be volatile and from where we have had weapons going to the Islamists in other countries ever since the fall of [Muammar] Gaddafi.

 

“They are in Mali: has Wagner’s presence in Mali led to any benefit for Mali? I would say not at all. We have certainly no intention of inviting them into our country. They create problems, [they] don’t solve them. We know they have been engaged in disinformation campaigns against us.”

 

A fake social media post claimed that Mr Bazoum had faced a coup while visiting Mr Macron in Paris; another that the French had armed a group of jihadists who killed 17 members of Niger’s armed forces at around the same time. Both of these posts have been traced to the Lakhta project, a troll farm financed by Mr Prigozhin, which has been sanctioned by the US since 2018.

 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

West African bloc prepares for military action as Niger coup deadline looms | Niger | The Guardian

WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM

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Defence chiefs deliver ultimatum for Sunday after mediation fails to reinstate elected president

 

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West African defence chiefs have drawn up a plan for military action if Niger’s coup is not overturned by Sunday, the regional bloc said, after mediation failed in a crisis that threatens regional security and has drawn in global powers.

 

The Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) has given Niger’s coup leaders until Sunday to step down and reinstate the elected president, Mohamed Bazoum.

 

The bloc has taken a hard stance on last week’s takeover, the seventh coup in west and central Africa since 2020.

 

Given its uranium and oil deposits and pivotal role in the war with Islamist rebels in the Sahel region, Niger has strategic significance for the US, China, Europe and Russia.

 

 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

Niger’s junta asks for help from Russian group Wagner as it faces military intervention threat

APNEWS.COM

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An analyst says Niger’s new military junta has asked for help from the Russian mercenary group Wagner as the deadline nears for it to release the country’s ousted president or face possible military intervention by the West African regional bloc.

 

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Niger’s new military junta has asked for help from the Russian mercenary group Wagner as the deadline nears for it to release the country’s ousted president or face possible military intervention by the West African regional bloc, according to an analyst.

 

The request came during a visit by a coup leader, Gen. Salifou Mody, to neighboring Mali, where he made contact with someone from Wagner, Wassim Nasr, a journalist and senior research fellow at the Soufan Center, told The Associated Press. He said three Malian sources and a French diplomat confirmed the meeting first reported by France 24.

 

“They need (Wagner) because they will become their guarantee to hold onto power,” he said, adding that the group is considering the request. A Western military official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment, told the AP they have also heard reports that the junta asked for help from Wagner in Mali.