In retreating from the threat of military intervention to restore the elected government.. ECOWAS: Dialogue with the leaders of the Nigerien coup is the "basic" of efforts to resolve the crisis

In retreating from the threat of military intervention to restore the elected government.. ECOWAS: Dialogue with the leaders of the Nigerien coup is the "basic" of efforts to resolve the crisis

    Thursday, August 10, 2023   No comments

The leaders of West African countries stressed Thursday that they will make negotiations with the military leaders who seized power in Niger the "base" of their efforts to defuse the crisis, in retreat from the threat of military intervention to restore the elected government.

"We prioritize diplomatic negotiations and dialogue as the basis of our approach," said Nigerian President Paula Tinubu, who is chairing the emergency summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Abuja.

The military council in Niger forms a new transitional government that includes 21 ministers

Today, Thursday, the head of the military council in Niger, Abd al-Rahman Tiani, signed a decree forming a new transitional government, local media reported.

Actoniger reported that Tiani signed the decree forming the transitional government yesterday, Wednesday, which is composed of 21 ministers and includes a small number of military personnel.

On July 27, soldiers in the Nigerien army announced, on state television, the dismissal of President Mohamed Bazoum, his detention in his residence, the closure of borders and the imposition of a curfew, explaining that they had decided to put an end to the current regime, after the deterioration of the security situation and economic mismanagement in the country.

In response to the military council's move, the Economic Community of West African States "ECOWAS" announced the imposition of sanctions on Niger, including closing its airspace and suspending trade exchanges with it.

For his part, Tianyi rejected these punishments, describing them as illegal, unfair and inhumane.

In early August, the participants in an emergency meeting of the Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Economic Community of West African States, held in Abuja, adopted a plan in the event of a military intervention in Niger.

After mobilizing a force of 25,000 ECOWAS soldiers for possible intervention in Niger, the military council refused to receive the delegation of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Union and the United Nations.

Coinciding with the announcement of the African crowd of a possible military intervention, the leaders of the military council announced the appointment of Ali Mahman Lamine Zain, an economist and former minister of finance, as prime minister in the country after Bazoum was dismissed due to his allowing foreign interventions in the country.

The military council announced the cancellation of a number of military cooperation agreements with France, in addition to ending the missions of the country's ambassadors to France, the United States, Nigeria and Togo.

The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs commented on the military council's decision to cancel the agreements concluded with it, stressing that it "only recognizes the previous authorities of Muhammad Bazoum" and rejects the decision.

It is noteworthy that US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced in a statement that his country's government had decided to freeze some "foreign assistance programs" from which the government of Niger benefits.

Likewise, the United States and ECOWAS confirmed that they hoped to reach a diplomatic solution in Niger that would put things back in order.

It is noteworthy that both Mali and Burkina Faso supported the Transitional Military Council in Niger, and declared clearly that "any intervention by the Economic Community of West African States to return Bazoum to power would be tantamount to declaring war on them."

In the same context, Russia believed that foreign intervention would not allow a solution to the crisis in Niger, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that "it is unlikely that the intervention of forces from outside the region will allow the situation to improve."

It is noteworthy that the countries of the European Union began yesterday, Wednesday, to prepare to impose the first sanctions on members of the military council in Niger.

The situation in Niger raises concerns about the future of the country and the region, at a time when it faces increasing security challenges due to the threat of armed groups growing in the Sahel region. It also raises concern in the West, especially France and the United States of America, because the ousted president is considered Paris's first man in the African Sahel countries.

With the imminent lifting of subsidies, huge queues at petrol stations in Nigeria

With the imminent lifting of subsidies, huge queues at petrol stations in Nigeria

    Friday, June 02, 2023   No comments

The persistent problem of strategic planning by Africa's leaders is manifesting itself in the most populous and energy rich African country, Nigeria.

The fuel crisis in Nigeria occupies the largest part of the momentum throughout the country, as it fluctuates from time to time between a shortage of imports and their impact on global prices, and the absence of local refining capabilities and the stoppage of refineries.

Since Tuesday, huge queues have formed outside petrol stations across Nigeria, after new President Paula Tinubu announced that fuel subsidies would soon be scrapped, causing panic among consumers.

The new president, Bola Tinubu, 71, who was recently sworn in, said there would be no grant spending in his budget, in line with his campaign promise.

"Instead, we will redirect the money toward better investments in public infrastructure, education, healthcare and jobs that will improve the lives of our citizens," he added.

He pointed out that "support is fading," without specifying a specific date, which led to confusion among the population and prompted motorists to rush to service stations.

Yesterday, Tuesday, the president's communications team said that the subsidy will end at the end of next June, describing the panic buying of fuel as "unnecessary."

Nigeria trades its billions of dollars worth of crude for imported fuel (due to failed state refineries), which it then subsidizes to maintain an artificially low price in the market, creating a financial chasm.

Therefore, it is a very popular measure among the population, but it withdraws billions of dollars from the public treasury every year.

Over the past ten years, the authorities have attempted to abolish this subsidy on several occasions. But to no avail. Each time, they had to back down in the face of public anger that the unions amplified to the limit.

And in 2012, the Nigerian army took to the streets to keep calm during demonstrations against the removal of subsidies.

After his inauguration as President of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu pledges to unite the country and ensure its security

After his inauguration as President of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu pledges to unite the country and ensure its security

    Tuesday, May 30, 2023   No comments

On Monday, Bola Ahmed Tinubu called for the unification of Nigeria, the day after his inauguration as the new president of the most populous country in Africa, and pledged that ensuring its security would be his “priority.”

The new 71-year-old head of state, in traditional dress, was sworn in during a ceremony held in Abuja in front of a crowd of officials and a number of African heads of state (Rwanda, Ghana, South Africa, Benin and Cameroon).

Tinubu, who was elected in February, pledged at the end of a ballot whose results were challenged by the opposition in court, denouncing widespread fraud, to serve Nigerians "without prejudice".

He stressed the need to unite the country of 215 million people, divided between the Muslim-majority north and the Christian-majority south, particularly by "promoting economic exchanges, social cohesion and intercultural dialogue."

He pledged that tackling insecurity would be his "absolute priority", as well as defending "the nation from terrorism and all forms of crime" by strengthening security forces.

The new president has promised to put Africa's largest economy back on track, while the oil-rich country sinks into recession, inflation, exploding debt and poverty.

Tinubu, who was called the “kingmaker” or “the spiritual father,” because of his enormous political influence, organized his election campaign, stressing that it was his “turn” to lead the largest economy on the continent.

However, the rise of the new president, who has huge wealth, was accompanied by many accusations of corruption, without being convicted at all, which he also always denied.

Tinubu will have to focus on the speedy recovery of the country's economy. One of the main challenges for Nigeria, which is rich in oil, is that it exchanges crude, which is estimated at billions of dollars, in exchange for imported fuel (due to poor operation of refineries) that it supplies to its market later.

“OPEC +” agrees to reduce oil production by an average of two million barrels per day

“OPEC +” agrees to reduce oil production by an average of two million barrels per day

    Thursday, October 06, 2022   No comments

 Reuters quoted sources in Vienna as confirming that the "OPEC +" group agreed today to reduce oil production by two million barrels per day.

The Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee of the Global Oil Exporters Alliance "OPEC +", which includes ministers of prominent producing countries, agreed to reduce crude production by two million barrels per day in response to the decline in prices.

This came according to what was quoted by "Reuters" agency, quoting 3 sources familiar with the events, and as expected by media reports earlier, and in a move believed to destroy the efforts of the United States to increase supplies and reduce prices.

A disaster for the United States and will cause crises

On Tuesday, CNN reported, quoting a White House document, that "the United States is concerned that a possible decision by "OPEC" to reduce oil production may cause major crises for the country, and can be considered a hostile act."

And a report by the American network stated that the White House “warns that the “OPEC +” meeting may cause great damage to the United States, and that the decision to reduce oil production will be a “complete disaster” for the country.

The United States, in an attempt to persuade its OPEC allies, is proposing to buy back up to 200 million barrels of oil from its OPEC partners, which will be used to refill the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which President Joe Biden uses to help lower oil prices.

This is while another US official stated, according to "CNN", that the White House "is in a state of panic and panic."

"We have made clear that energy supplies must meet demand to support economic growth and lower prices for consumers around the world, and we will continue to talk to our partners about that," National Security Council spokeswoman Adrian Watson said in a statement.

A few days ago, the Wall Street Journal reported, quoting participants in the upcoming “OPEC +” meeting, that the coalition countries were “considering reducing oil production by more than one million barrels per day.”

Action to Prevent fluctuations

Saudi Arabia and other members of OPEC Plus, which includes OPEC countries and non-OPEC producers including Russia, say they are seeking to prevent volatility and not target a specific oil price.

Brent crude, the global benchmark, rose today, Wednesday, towards $93 a barrel, after rising yesterday.

The West accuses Russia of using energy as a weapon, and of creating a crisis in Europe that may force it to ration gas and electricity this winter.

In contrast, Moscow accuses the West of using the dollar and financial systems - such as Swift - as a weapon in response to Russia sending troops to Ukraine last February.

Reactions

US President Joe Biden expressed his disappointment over the decision of the OPEC Plus alliance to reduce oil production, and stressed that his administration would seek to reduce the alliance's control over energy prices, according to a statement issued by the White House.

The statement described the OPEC Plus decision as "short-sighted", and said that the decision - which is the largest reduction in oil production since the Covid-19 pandemic - will harm countries that are "already reeling" under the weight of high oil prices in light of a global economy that in turn suffers from the "negative impact". Russia's attack on Ukraine, according to the statement.

The White House considered that the "wrong" decision was in Russia's own interest, and said, "It is clear that OPEC Plus is allied with Russia."

He added that "in light of today's decision, the Biden administration will consult with Congress on additional tools and mechanisms to reduce the control of the coalition of oil-producing countries on energy prices."

On the other hand, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak described the decision taken by the OPEC Plus alliance during its meeting in Vienna today, Wednesday, as "unprecedented", and attributed it to the need to achieve balance in the oil market.

Novak warned - in statements he made to state television - that the trend to impose a ceiling on the price of Russian oil - a step proposed by the European Union as part of new planned sanctions on Moscow - will have a detrimental effect on global markets.

Novak stressed that Russian companies will not send oil supplies to countries that adopt this ceiling.

On Thursday, the US administration seem to escalate its reaction to this event. The White House hinted that it would “re-evaluate the issue of Saudi Arabia’s trade preference with regard to arms sales and defense support,” following the decision of the “OPEC +” group to reduce the collective production limit.

The President of the US National Economic Council, Brian Dees, indicated today, Thursday, that "the administration of President Joe Biden is in the process of consulting with Congress on the issue of Saudi Arabia's commercial preference for arms sales and defense support."

In response to a question about whether Saudi Arabia deserves to obtain weapons and US defense support in light of the decision of the “OPEC +” group, Deiss said: “We will conduct an assessment and consult closely with Congress on a number of issues related to this matter.”

The member countries of the “OPEC +” alliance agreed, yesterday, Wednesday, to reduce the collective production limit by two million barrels per day, in what is considered the largest supply curb since the 2020 agreement, in the midst of the historic price collapse due to the Corona pandemic.

Following the producers' decision, US President Joe Biden expressed his disappointment with the "OPEC +" agreement, stressing the importance of global energy supplies in light of the war in Ukraine.

White House spokeswoman Karen Jean-Pierre said that the “OPEC +” decision to reduce oil production, which is likely to raise prices in Western countries, “shows that the alliance is biased towards Russia.”

And the American network “CNN” reported, earlier, quoting a document of the White House, that “the United States is concerned that a possible decision by “OPEC” to reduce oil production may cause major crises for the country, and it can be considered a “hostile act.”

And a report by the American network stated that the White House “warns that the “OPEC +” meeting may cause great damage to the United States, and that the decision to reduce oil production will be a “complete disaster” for the country.

Read also: The “OPEC +” decision to reduce production .. its political and economic impact on the Biden administration

In turn, the Saudi Energy Minister, Abdulaziz bin Salman, confirmed that the decision of the “OPEC +” group to reduce oil production by two million barrels per day “is not an aggressive move and does not aim to harm anyone.”

As for Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, he announced that the decision of the “OPEC +” alliance to reduce oil production “is an unprecedented decision,” noting that the reason for taking such a decision “is the need to balance the market before winter.”

Aisha Bakari Gombi: a terror to the terrorists

Aisha Bakari Gombi: a terror to the terrorists

    Friday, October 09, 2020   No comments

By Ebele Orakpo 

It’s often said that what a man can do, a woman can do even better. This saying has been proven to be true in the North-Eastern region of Nigeria, which has been the theatre of war between the forces of evil (Boko Haram terrorists) and good (the Security agencies and the poor masses) for about 11 years.

In Adamawa State, one of the states being ravaged by the Boko Haram, considered the third most dangerous terrorist organisation on earth after Al Qaeda and The Islamic State,  lives a queen by all standards, by name, Sarauniya (Queen) Amina Bakari Gombi, a  wife, mother, hunter, warrior, and tailor. Due to her exploits as a warrior, she has entered the folklore of the locals just like the legendary Queen Amina of Zazzau, Hausa warrior queen who ruled in the mid-16th Century. 

Perhaps, one can confidently say that Queen Amina has come alive in Aisha Gombi, Queen Hunter and nemesis of Boko Haram fighters. At a time when many, including men, were running away from the insurgents who were raiding communities, maiming, killing raping, and abducting men, women, and children, and razing down villages, Aisha stood to be counted.

... read more; Source: https://bit.ly/3lyisxJ