Did you miss the latest events on the conflict in Niger? 20 minutes takes stock for you every evening at 8 p.m. Who did what ? Who said what? Where are we ? The answer below.
The fact of the day
The chiefs of staff of the West African armies have started their meeting in Ghana to discuss a possible armed intervention in Niger after the coup. “Democracy is what we stand for and support,” said Nigeria’s Chief of Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, at the opening of the meeting, which runs until Friday in Accra between military officials from the countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
If the option of an armed operation remains on the table, ECOWAS still seems to favor the path of dialogue with the military regime which overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum and placed General Abdourahamane Tiani at the head of the country. “The objective of our meeting is not simply to react to events but to proactively chart a path that leads to peace and supports stability,” General Gwabin Musa continued. According to Abdel-Fatau Musah, commissioner for political affairs, peace and security within ECOWAS, the meeting will “refine” the details in case the organization “resorts to the ultimate means of force”.
The number of the day
31. Air France has extended “until August 31 inclusive” the suspension of its flights to and from Mali and Burkina Faso, flights to Niger remaining stopped “until further notice”, we learned. with the company. The French company, the main airline between Europe and Africa, suspended its flights to Bamako (7 flights per week), Ouagadougou (5 flights per week) and Niamey (4 flights per week) on August 7 after the closure of neighboring Niger’s airspace, the scene of a July 26 coup.
sentence of the day
Their failure is certain.
These are the words of Nicolas Sarkozy about the perpetrators of the coup in Niger. The former French president felt that it was the “long-term” maintenance of French military forces in the Sahel that caused anti-French hatred. “The problem is deep and in reality insoluble because it is that of the prolonged presence of our army in our former colonies, also explained the former head of state, in a river interview with the Figaro. As good and generous as our intentions are, any mission that drags on ends up making us appear (…) as an occupying force. »
The trend of the day
The UN has warned that the crisis in Niger could worsen food insecurity in the country and urged humanitarian exemptions to sanctions and border closures to avert disaster. The United Nations humanitarian agency, OCHA, pointed out that even before the overthrow of President Mohamed Bazoum by the military, the country had more than three million people in a situation of acute food insecurity.
More than seven million people, currently considered moderately food insecure, “could see their situation worsen due to the ongoing crisis”, OCHA warned, citing a preliminary study by the World Food Program (WFP) , the UN food agency. The WFP assured for its part that it would continue to provide aid to Niger, despite the ongoing political crisis.
The agency said that in the first week of August it had provided food to 140,000 people in the country and life-saving treatment for malnutrition to 74,000 children. But she warned that regional sanctions and border closures were “greatly affecting Niger’s supply of vital food and medical supplies”.