Latest news with #junta
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
EU, Macron urge Niger junta to free ex-president
Emmanuel Macron voiced support for Mohamed Bazoum, who has been held for two years after being ousted in Niger's coup. (AP pic) BRUSSELS : The EU and French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday urged Niger's ruling junta to release ousted president Mohamed Bazoum, two years to the day the army detained him. Bazoum has been held, along with his wife Hadiza, in a wing of the presidential palace, and according to his lawyers, he has not left the building in that time. The 27-member bloc said in a statement it welcomed the recent release of some political prisoners but 'regretted' the continued detention of Bazoum, 65, and others. 'The EU calls again for the release of these people who are being held for political reasons,' said the statement from Kaja Kallas, the bloc's top diplomat. Macron also called for Bazoum's release in a separate statement Saturday. 'Today, my thoughts are with Mohamed Bazoum, arbitrarily held for two years after the putsch which drove him from office as president of Niger,' Macron wrote on Facebook. 'I am also thinking of his wife Hadiza, who is held with him and his loved ones. I add my voice to all those calling for his release,' he added. Months after the coup, the junta said it intended to put Bazoum on trial, accusing him of treason and of 'plotting against the security and authority of the state'. If he was convicted of treason, he could face the death penalty, say his lawyers. In June last year, Niger's state court, set up by the regime, lifted Bazoum's presidential immunity, which could open the path to a trial. To date, however, no case has been opened against the former president, who was elected in 2021 and has not resigned. 'The EU remains available for a frank, honest, and structured dialogue with the Nigerien authorities based on mutual respect and shared interests,' the EU statement said.
Arab News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Senegal bans motorbikes near Mali border over militant fears
DAKAR: Senegal officials have imposed a nighttime ban on motorcycles in an eastern region after militants used motorbikes in recent attacks in towns just over the border in Mali. A decree published this week said the prohibition was for 'security reasons,' after attackers targeted army positions in several Malian towns on July 1, killing at least one civilian. One of the Malian towns, Diboli, is less than 500 meters from Kidira in Senegal. The midnight-to-dawn motorbike ban applies to the Bakel region in Senegal, which stretches around 230 kilometers (140 miles) along the border with Mali. The July 1 attacks in Mali were claimed by the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, known by its Arabic initials JNIM, an Islamist outfit affiliated with Al-Qaeda that is active in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. JNIM has risen to become the most influential militant threat in the Sahel, according to the United Nations. Analysts say it has ambitions to expand from Mali into both Senegal and Mauritania. Contacted by AFP on Saturday, the local administration of the Bakel region declined to comment on the motorbike ban. Mali, ruled by a junta following two successive coups in 2020 and 2021, has been gripped by insecurity and violence from Al-Qaeda- and Daesh-linked groups for over a decade.
Free Malaysia Today
6 days ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Myanmar junta claims recapture of gold mining hub
Some 3.5 million people have been displaced by the war in Myanmar. (EPA Images pic) YANGON : Myanmar's junta claimed today to have ousted anti-coup rebels from a gold mining hub after a year-long battle, its second declared recapture of a key town in a week. A civil war has consumed Myanmar since a 2021 coup deposed the civilian government, with the military battling a myriad of pro-democracy guerrillas and ethnic armed organisations. Scattered anti-coup forces initially struggled to make headway, but won a string of stunning victories – mostly in the north – when many banded together for a coordinated offensive starting late 2023. This year, the junta's China and Russia-backed forces have clawed back ground on the northern front, and state media said its soldiers managed 'to fully retake' the town of Thabeikkyin yesterday. One resident, Ye Dinn, said people had fled fighting to shelter in the forest or nearby schools and monasteries. 'People have nothing to eat and no place to flee to,' the 65-year-old said. Thabeikkyin, located about 100km north of the second most populous city of Mandalay, is a lucrative hive of gold mining sitting on the banks of the Irrawaddy River bisecting Myanmar. State mouthpiece the Global New Light of Myanmar said an anti-coup alliance attacked Thabeikkyin with 'overwhelming strength' last August, but its counter-offensive retook the town after 17 major battles. 'We are really scared,' said another resident, speaking on condition of anonymity. 'Nowhere is safe. We are all looking for a safe place, but people have no idea where they should go and hide.' The junta last Thursday said it had recaptured the northeastern town of Nawnghkio, on another key highway towards Mandalay city, fending allied rebels back further into the fringes of the country. Earlier this week, guerrillas said they ambushed a junta flotilla of five ships sailing up the Irrawaddy north of Mandalay – another apparent sign of the military's renewed regional offensive. With control of Thabeikkyin and Nawnghkio, junta forces hold two flanks of the town of Mogok – the renowned centre of Myanmar's ruby mining industry which rebel forces claimed last summer. Mines excavating precious metals, gemstones and rare earth elements are coveted by all factions in Myanmar's civil war, allowing them to fill their coffers and fund their offensives. Some 3.5 million people are living displaced amid the war, according to the United Nations, while more than half the nation of around 50 million now lives in poverty.
Bloomberg
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Mali Junta Courts US Business, Security Ties in Volatile Region
Mali's ruling junta is courting US investment and support for the fight against Islamist insurgents as it seeks to solidify a regional alliance of military-led West African states. US officials visited the country on Monday for talks with Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop. The American delegation included US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for West Africa William Stevens.
Bloomberg
22-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Mali Court Rejects Appeal to Release Four Barrick Staff
A court in Mali rejected an appeal for the conditional release of four Barrick Mining Corp. employees detained since November. Its refusal comes as Mali's ruling junta placed Barrick's Loulo-Gounkoto complex under state control for six months. The junta earlier this month seized about a ton of gold from the biggest gold mine in Africa potentially for sale by the provisional administration to finance operations at the mine.
