Musings From Abroad

Fresh evacuation of French troops from Niger to begin shortly

Published

1 year ago

October 22, 2023

An official of the Nigerien force, colonel Mamane Sani Kaiou has confirmed that another French military convoy is scheduled to leave Niger for Chad in the coming days.

The move marks the half-way point of the promised withdrawal of the 1,450 French troops based in the West African nation whose military leadership has fallen out with its former colonial master, France.

The junta in Niger started demanding that French military convoys leave their facilities in the southwest of the country, which further affects France’s influence in the conflict-ridden Sahel region of West Africa where countries like Burkina Faso, Mali, and Guinea have also had challenging relations with France in recent years.

France decided to remove its troops stationed in Niger by the end of the year, thereby ending its military relationship with its former colony.

“As of today, 282 people have left. In the next few days, close to 400 or more will be leaving, bringing the troops here in Niger down to half of the 1,450,” the colonel told reporters at a joint press conference with the commander of France’s Sahel forces.

French General, Eric Ozanne also confirmed that a convoy that left last week had arrived in Chad’s capital, N’Djamena and that the journey had gone smoothly.

“It was perfectly planned and prepared by the Niger authorities,” Ozanne said, adding that he expected the same consideration for future convoys.

Ozanne declared that the troops would not stay in Chad during their road withdrawal. The general stated, “This is not the repositioning of our operations from Niger to Chad,” stressing that the objective was still to finish the withdrawal from Niger by December 31.

The West African subregion has had 5 coups in five countries in the last three years, notably in Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Chad and the new kid on the bloc, Niger. And a wave of growing anti-France sentiments is common in all five countries, with all of them also having links to Russia’s mercenary group, Wagner.

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Musings From Abroad

Seeking to expand ties in Africa, Indonesia’s Prabowo attends D-8 economic meeting in Egypt

Published

1 day ago

December 18, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

According to the government, Indonesian President, Prabowo Subianto, travelled to Egypt on Tuesday to attend meetings of the D-8 Organisation for Economic Cooperation, a group of eight significant Muslim developing nations.

To enhance collaboration between the nations spanning from Southeast Asia to Africa, the D-8 was formed in 1997 and consists of Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkey. Beginning in January 2026, Indonesia will serve as the group’s chair.

Prabowo said that he would meet with Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the president of Egypt.

“Egypt is our close friend, our strategic partner and an important country in the Middle East,” he said before his departure, adding he would also meet the Egyptian business community.

He would go to Malaysia from Egypt and then return to Indonesia.

Since taking office in October, Prabowo has stated that his administration will uphold Indonesia’s long-standing non-alignment foreign policy.

Since winning the presidency earlier this year, he has been to more than 20 nations, including China, the US, Japan, and Russia.

Musings From Abroad

UN warns Sudan rebels may be getting weapons in Chad from UAE cargo planes

Published

5 days ago

December 14, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Flight data and satellite photographs reveal that dozens of UAE cargo planes have landed at a small Chad airstrip since Sudan’s civil war began last year, which some U.N. experts and diplomats fear is being used to transport guns into the fight.

At least 86 UAE planes have landed at Amdjarass airfield in eastern Chad since the war started in April 2023.

According to flight data and business records examined by Reuters, three-quarters of them were operated by airlines accused by the U.N. of transporting Emirati weaponry to a Libyan warlord.

The UAE, a key Western partner in the Middle East, insists it sends Sudan aid through Chad, not armaments.

The UAE denied “credible” allegations that it was supplying Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group fighting the Sudanese army in a conflict that has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions, via the Chad airstrip in January.

Reuters uncovered footage from Amdjarass this year, revealing two pallets loaded with khaki containers, some labelled with the UAE flag, on the tarmac.

Reuters is obscuring the footage’s date and provenance for fear of reprisals.

Three weapons specialists, two of whom were U.N. inspectors, said the containers were unlikely to convey humanitarian material, generally bundled in cardboard boxes coated in plastic and stacked high on pallets due to its lightweight. The footage shows metal containers packed low on pallets.

One U.N. weapons inspector said the contents were “highly probably ammunition or weapons, based on the design and colour of boxes,” but requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the information.

He stated that right-hand pallet cases are long and slender, suggesting weaponry.

Reuters could not independently verify the containers’ contents. The filming date is being withheld to protect the source.

The UAE government told Reuters it has deployed 159 relief planes with more than 10,000 tonnes of food and medical assistance to feed its Amdjarass field hospital.

“We firmly reject the baseless and unfounded claims regarding the provision of arms and military equipment to any warring party since the beginning of the conflict,” the statement said.

To counter Islamist militants, the oil-rich Gulf kingdom has interfered in crises from Yemen to Libya since the Arab Spring protests of 2011. The UAE views Muslim Brotherhood and other groups as threats to internal stability.

In Sudan’s army, Islamists affiliated with deposed President Omar al-Bashir have long held power.

Senior RSF official Brigadier General Omar Hamdan rejected foreign help. He told Nairobi media on Nov. 18 that Sudanese firms made its guns and ammunition. The RSF declined to comment on this topic.