Tag Archives: Niger
9 March 2015
Chad and Niger have intensified the joint military campaign against Boko Haram. Forces from the two states opened a new front in the fight against the Nigerian-based Islamic extremist group amidst growing fears that the conflict, which has been largely restricted to northeast Nigeria and neighbouring borders, could become internationalised. (more…)
Source: The New York Times | Chad and Niger Troops Move to Attack Boko Haram
20 May 2014
On 17 May five West African countries agreed to a plan focusing on enhanced military cooperation and intelligence sharing with the purpose of combating the regional threat from Boko Haram, the extremist group which abducted more than 200 schoolgirls in northern Nigeria last month. The meeting was organised by French President Francois Hollande, at the request of Nigeria’s president, Goodluck Johnathan, and was also attended by the heads of state of Cameroon, Niger, Chad and Benin. Senior American, British and European diplomats were also present. (more…)
Source: The New York Times | West African Nations Set Aside Their Old Suspicions to Combat Boko Haram
5 March 2014
While the US military involvement in Africa, Niger in particular, seeks to combat Islamist militants, the government does not want to put a lot of soldiers and money into the African region. Therefore, the Obama administration focuses their involvement on training and advising African troops, and providing assistance to European allies that have forces in the region as well. Part of the US mission in Niger is to train African troops to conduct combat patrols and how to foil terrorist ambushes, however, the US also helped organise a medical clinic in a nearby village. The US has spent USD 33 million in the past two years on building Niger’s counterterrorism abilities and providing equipment. Additionally, the US mission also focuses on assisting its European allies in the region, for example, the US has provided intelligence to France, which has soldiers in Mali. (more…)
Source: The New York Times | U.S. Takes Training Role in Africa as Threats Grow and Budgets Shrink
23 January 2014
Lion status in West African protected areas within lion range.
© P. Henschel, L. Coad, C. Burton, B. Chataigner, A. Dunn et al. (see footnote).
A recently published study showed that the lion in West Africa is now critically endangered and faces extinction. From one angle, this would be just one of the large (though unknown) number of species that has previously faced extinction or has even become extinct. But the risk of extinction of some species give more reason for pause than others. Surely the lion – a cultural icon for cultures across the world since time immemorial – deserves a moment of reflection.
The cited study describes how the lion was once the most successful large carnivore. Its range extended from South Africa, across Eurasia, and into the southern United States. Today, the lion’s range is restricted to Africa, with a population of the Asiatic sub-species in India. Lions in Africa have lost 75 percent of their range in the last 100 years. (more…)
26 February 2013
President Obama has announced last Friday that about 100 American troops were sent to Niger to help set up a new base from which drones would conduct surveillance in the region. Niger has signed a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with the United States (US) that has cleared the way for greater American military involvement in the country, and has provided legal protection to American troops there. The US troops would support the French-led operation in Mali.
Source: The New York Times | New Drone Base in Niger Builds U.S. Presence in Africa
