(today)
The Nigerian military has said in the past that the group has roots in neighboring Niger and that it became more active in Nigeria’s border communities following a 2023 military coup. That coup resulted in fractured relations between Nigeria and Niger, and affected their multinational military operations along the porous border.
(December 9, 2025)
A Nigerian military aircraft, carrying 11 personnel, is detained in Burkina Faso for alleged airspace violation.
Burkina Faso, a member of the Alliance of Sahel States, claims the aircraft‘s presence was an unfriendly act that breached sovereignty.
The Sahel States Alliance has condemned the incident, emphasizing heightened alert for airspace protection.
The detention follows recent Nigerian airstrikes in Benin targeting coup plotters, which adds tension in the region.
(December 16, 2025)
Between 2020 and 2025, nine coup attempts toppled five democratic governments and two military ones. The latest successful coup, in Guinea-Bissau, happened on November 28. Bissau-Guineans had voted in the presidential election some days before and were waiting for the results to be announced when the military seized the national television station, detained incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embalo, and announced a new military leader.
ECOWAS, whose high-level delegation was in Bissau to monitor the electoral process when the coup happened, appeared on the back foot, unable to do much more than issue condemnatory statements. Those statements sounded similar to those it issued after the coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Guinea.
(December 15, 2025)
Military help for the government came from the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS.
(…)
Several West African countries have witnessed coups in recent years, including Benin’s northern neighbours, Niger and Burkina Faso.
(December 22, 2025)
Karr said the operation was an early sign the U.S. was rebuilding its capacity in the region after Niger ordered U.S. troops to leave a sprawling, newly built air base in the desert last year, and turned instead to Russia for security assistance.
„In recent weeks we‘ve seen a resumption of intelligence and surveillance flights in Nigeria,“ Karr said in an interview.
A former U.S. official said the aircraft is among several assets the Trump administration moved to Ghana in November.
(December 9, 2024)
According to the bloc, the departure of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger becomes effective one year after the announcement, in January 2025.
The trio have formed the Alliance of Sahel States after severing ties with France and pivoting towards Russia.
(September 28, 2023)
Burkina‘s military leaders earlier this month signed a mutual defence pact with counterparts in Mali and Niger.
(September 28, 2023)
Since the country’s first coup in January 2022, the number of people killed by Islamic extremists has nearly tripled compared with the 18 months before, according to a recent report by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies.
(17.09.2023)
All three countries have undergone coups since 2020, most recently Niger, where soldiers in July overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum.
The West African regional bloc ECOWAS has threatened to intervene militarily in Niger over the coup.
Mali and Burkina Faso quickly responded by saying that any such operation would be deemed a “declaration of war” against them.
All three countries have undergone coups since 2020, most recently Niger, where soldiers in July overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum.
The West African regional bloc ECOWAS has threatened to intervene militarily in Niger over the coup.
Mali and Burkina Faso quickly responded by saying that any such operation would be deemed a “declaration of war” against them.
All three states were members of the France-supported G5 Sahel alliance joint force with Chad and Mauritania, launched in 2017 to tackle extremists in the region.
Mali has since left the dormant organisation after a military coup, while deposed Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum said in May last year that the force is now “dead” following Mali’s departure.
(August 6, 2023)
Niger is a target of imperialism for many reasons. Its natural resources include uranium, which supplies up to one third of France’s entire electrical grid. Yet Niger remains one of the poorest countries in the world with the majority of its over 27 million people lacking access to their own electricity. Niger also holds strategic importance to the U.S. military as a hub for its drone operations in Central Africa, used to maintain U.S. influence in the region as well as assist in French military interventions.
In addition to 1,500 French troops, there are over 1,000 U.S. troops stationed in Niger, which the U.S. government now refuses to withdraw, despite the security agreements between the U.S. and Niger being suspended and multiple European countries evacuating their citizens. The U.S. military machine is digging in, hoping to restore the pro-imperialist government by whatever means necessary.
Central Africa‘s political bloc, the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), condemned the coup in a statement, saying it planned an „imminent“ meeting of heads of state to determine how to respond. It did not give a date.
The African Union‘s Peace and Security Council will meet on Thursday to discuss the coup, a spokesperson for the African Union Commission chair said.
Sheikh Abdullahi Bala Lau, who led the Nigerian delegation, made the announcement on Sunday, a day after his group held talks with General Abdourahamane Tchiani in the Nigerien capital Niamey.
The meeting took place as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) explores its options to restore civilian rule in Niger, including potential military intervention,
(12.08.2023)
„The Niger soldiers are ready to face any aggression against our country of any kind. They should count on our support, the support of the population and its partners. We are ready,“ says Bana Ibrahim.
The 46-year-old is one of the leaders of a so-called self-defence unit that has been set up in response to the Ecowas announcement.
Another member of the unit, Moudi Moussa, agrees: „We are here to defend our country because the country is threatened by Ecowas mercenaries. I call them mercenaries in the pay of [French President Emmanuel] Macron. So we are here to protect our Niger and the people of Niger.“
(12.08.2023)
Such an intervention would destabilise the Sahel region as a whole, the Russian foreign ministry said.
Russia does not formally back the coup.
But the US, which backs efforts to restore deposed leader Mohamed Bazoum, says its Wagner mercenary group is taking advantage of the instability.
The Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, has ordered its standby force to restore constitutional order in NIger Republic.
The President of ECOWAS, Omar Alieu Touray made the declaration while reading the resolution of ECOWAS on the Niger coup at the ECOWAS Extraordinary meeting in Abuja on Thursday.
Leaders from the West African bloc ECOWAS will meet on Thursday for an emergency summit on the coup in Niger, after the country‘s military chiefs defied an ultimatum to restore the elected president.
The coup of the 26th July 2023 in Niger was precipitated by the stated desire of former President Bazoum to remove the head of the presidential guard. Irrespective of the reasons for the coupists seizing power, the coup, to gain legitimacy, has tapped into a festering resentment against the ex-colonial power, France. French control of Niger’s economy through fiscal and monetary means using a regional version of the Franc (CFA Franc), with the collaboration of elements of Niger’s elite, has meant that France has the scope and access to pillage the country’s resources relentlessly.
As Niger has no control over its currency, it is unable to embark upon any form of meaningful development to lift or transform the living standards of the people. The CFA Franc and the fiscal and monetary control that France has over its ex-colonies is a scandal. It represents the rawest form of neo-colonial domination.
Western allies are pressuring Nigerian President Bola Tinubu to take a tough stance against the new Niger junta. But lawmakers back home have signalled they are against using Nigerian troops.
Mali said it and Burkina Faso, both neighbours of Niger run by military juntas, were sending delegations to Niger to show support. Both countries have said they would consider any intervention in Niger as a declaration of war against them.
I might also say that the – you know, the threats of other countries supporting the coup leaders – those are even more risible than the threat of invasion.
INSKEEP: Oh, meaning that other countries aren‘t – they don‘t have very many resources to make much of a difference even if they do want to support.
PHAM: Well, no. I mean, yes, definitely. For example, Burkina Faso, which has been very vocal, it‘s gone through two coups in recent years – very vocal in its support of the junta in Niger.
(07.08.2023)
A military source told CNN that Niger‘s armed forces brought in a convoy of about 40 pick-up trucks from other parts of the country on Sunday evening.
The U.S. has evacuated some staff from its embassy in the capital in Niamey, while the estimated 1,000 American troops stationed in the country were restricted to their bases.
As the deadline for the military junta in Niger Republic to vacate power expired on Sunday, President Bola Tinubu has met with the governors that share common boundaries with the troubled country at the State House in Abuja.
The meeting is part of the consultations by the president on the situation in Niger and as chairperson of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, Authority of Heads of State and Government.
A source who was privy to the discussions among the senators, who met behind closed doors, said lawmakers from seven northern states, which share border with Niger Republic namely; Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina, Zamfara, Jigawa, Yobe and Borno, vehemently rejected the move.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity said, “It was a stormy session with concern on the implications of the war if allowed to start.
Aug 6, 2023
(04.08.2023)
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has sought parliamentary approval to place sanctions on the Republic of Niger and mobilise the military for a possible intervention should the junta not respond to the conditions sought by the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS).