Category: Armed Forces - Page 2 - African News Today

ECOWAS Defence Chiefs Convene Extraordinary Meeting to Address Niger Coup

3Aug

By adminNo Comments

Africa, Armed Forces, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, News, Niger, Nigeria, Security, Senegal, Sierra Leone

ECOWAS Defence Chiefs Convene Extraordinary Meeting to Address Niger Coup

The Chief of Defence Staff of Nigeria, General Christopher Gwabim Musa, led his counterparts from 10 ECOWAS countries in an extraordinary meeting to address the recent coup d'état in the Republic of Niger. During the meeting, held in Abuja, General Musa emphasized the need for a united response from the military in the region to restore democratic governance in Niger. The coup, which took place on July 26, 2023, has raised serious concerns among ECOWAS member states, prompting an emergency session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government. The extraordinary meeting of defence chiefs was convened to strategize on the collective mission of restoring democracy in Niger and preserving humanitarian principles across the region. See Also: UK Backs ECOWAS Position on Niger Coup ...

Defence Chiefs from 5 ECOWAS Nations Absent at Abuja Meeting

2Aug

By adminNo Comments

Africa, Armed Forces, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, News, Niger, Nigeria, Security, Sierra Leone

Defence Chiefs from 5 ECOWAS Nations Absent at Abuja Meeting

A meeting of defence chiefs from ECOWAS nations held today at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja, but the gathering is conspicuously missing the presence of some key countries. Defence Chiefs from Mali, Niger, Guinea Bissau, Burkina Faso, and Guinea were noticeably absent from the meeting, while representatives from several other nations are in attendance. Present at the meeting are Defence Chiefs from Ghana, Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Senegal, The Gambia, Cote D’Ivoire, and Cape Verde. The meeting is being presided over by General Christopher Musa, the Nigeria Chief of Defence Staff. The meeting has been convened in response to the recent military coup in Niger Republic, where the Commander of Niger's Presidential Guards, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, toppled the ...

Military Intervention in Niger, Declaration of War Against Us – Burkina Faso and Mali

1Aug

By adminNo Comments

Africa, Armed Forces, Burkina Faso, Mali, News, Niger, Nigeria, Security, Violence

Military Intervention in Niger, Declaration of War Against Us – Burkina Faso and Mali

The junta-led governments of Burkina Faso and Mali issued a joint warning on Monday, stating that any military intervention in Niger to restore deposed President Mohamed Bazoum would be regarded as a "declaration of war" against their two countries. This came in response to threats made by West African leaders, backed by Western partners, to use "force" to reinstate the democratically elected Bazoum and impose financial sanctions on the putschists. The governments of Burkina Faso and Mali emphasized the potential disastrous consequences of a military intervention in Niger, warning that such action could destabilize the entire region. They also rejected the application of "illegal, illegitimate, and inhumane sanctions" against the people and authorities of Niger. At an emergency summ...

Breaking: Service Chiefs, Advisers, Others Retired; New Ones Appointed

19Jun

By adminNo Comments

Armed Forces, News, Nigeria, Security

Breaking: Service Chiefs, Advisers, Others Retired; New Ones Appointed

In a major shake-up of the nation's security apparatus, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has announced the immediate retirement of all Service Chiefs, the Inspector-General of Police, Advisers, and the Comptroller General of Customs. The President wasted no time in appointing their replacements, with the newly appointed officers set to assume their roles with immediate effect. The list of the newly appointed officers was released today by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Willie Bassey. Among the key appointments are Mallam Nuhu Ribadu as the National Security Adviser, Maj. Gen. C.G Musa as the Chief of Defence Staff, Maj. Gen. T. A Lagbaja as the Chief of Army Staff, Rear Admiral E. A Ogalla as the Chief of Naval Staff, AVM H.B Abubakar as the Chief of Air Staff, an...

Soldiers Charged With Killing Nine Civilians In Cameroon

8Jun

By Chukwuebuka FestusNo Comments

Armed Forces, Cameroon, Crime, Human Rights, News, Security

Soldiers Charged With Killing Nine Civilians In Cameroon

The army in Cameroon has confirmed that soldiers have killed nine civilians, including an 18-month-old girl. An army spokesman said a group of soldiers opened fire when they encountered hostile villagers in Missong, in the country's North-West region, earlier this month. The spokesman described the use of weapons as "inappropriate and manifestly disproportionate". Cameroon's ministry of defence says four soldiers have been arrested following the shooting. Read Also: Drunk Soldiers Kill 15 in DR Congo An investigation has been launched into the killings. In the same region two years ago, 21 civilians including 13 children and a pregnant woman were killed by Cameroonian soldiers in the village of Ngarbuh. Two soldiers and a gendarme were later charged with murder, a...

Suspected Islamists Kill At Least 18 In East Congo Attack

6Jun

By Chukwuebuka FestusNo Comments

Armed Forces, Congo, News, Rwanda, Security, Terrorism, Uganda

Suspected Islamists Kill At Least 18 In East Congo Attack

Suspected Islamists killed at least 18 people in a village raid in eastern Congo on Sunday night, local sources said, while fighting resumed with the M23 rebel group in a neighbouring province. Fighters believed to be from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) killed residents and burned down houses in the village of Otomabere, in Irumu territory, Ituri province, said a witness, a local chief and a local human rights group. Congolese army spokesman Jules Ngongo confirmed the ADF attack without giving a death toll, and said Congolese forces were in pursuit of the assailants. The ADF is a Ugandan militia that moved to eastern Congo in the 1990s. The group carries out frequent attacks and killed more than 1,300 people between January 2021 and January 2022, according to a United ...

Clashes Between Chad Gold Miners Leave 100 Dead

31May

By Chukwuebuka FestusNo Comments

Armed Forces, News, Violence

Clashes Between Chad Gold Miners Leave 100 Dead

Fighting between informal gold miners in a remote part of northern Chad has left around 100 people dead and 40 injured, the government says. What began as a "mundane dispute between two individuals... degenerated", Defence Minister Daoud Yaya Brahim told the AFP news agency. The mountainous Kouri Bougoudi district near the Libyan border attracts miners from across Chad and its neighbours. The clashes occurred last week but details are only emerging now. Some groups have put the death toll higher than the authorities, and have blamed the security forces for a number of the deaths. Read Also: Two More Miners Found Dead In Flooded Burkina Faso Mine The government sent a mission to the affected area - about 1,000km (620 miles) north-east of the capital, N'Djamena - wh...

Sudan Lifts State Of Emergency Imposed Since Coup

30May

By Chukwuebuka FestusNo Comments

African Development, Armed Forces, News, Security, Sudan

Sudan Lifts State Of Emergency Imposed Since Coup

Sudan's military government has lifted a state of emergency which it imposed after seizing power in a coup six months ago and recommended freedom for people detained under an emergency law. The decision by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, head of Sudan’s ruling sovereign council, came hours after the Security and Defense Council, Sudan’s highest body that decides on security matters suggested. The news came the same day as the U.N. envoy for Sudan regretted the killing of 2 anti-coup protestors in Khartoum Saturday. The two were killed in during protests in Khartoum’s Kalakla neighborhood. One was shot dead by security forces and the other suffocated after inhaling tear gas, according to the Sudan Doctors Committee, which is part of the pro-democracy movement. "Calling...

Thousands Abandon Their Homes Amid DR Congo Battles

28May

By Chukwuebuka FestusNo Comments

Armed Forces, Congo, News, Rwanda, Safety, Security, Terrorism

Thousands Abandon Their Homes Amid DR Congo Battles

More than 37,000 people have been forced from their homes in the Democratic Republic of Congo over the last four days of fighting, according to aid agencies. Local media report that the national army has retaken some areas that had been seized by the M23 rebels in recent days. But the main road between Rutshuru and the North Kivu regional capital, Goma, remains blocked by the M23. The DR Congo government has again accused Rwanda of supporting the rebels, which the government in Kigali denies. Earlier this week, Rwanda called for a regional investigation into how some artillery fire crossed into its territory, injuring some Rwandans. Read Also: Over 50 Villages Vacated Due to Bandits’ Attacks in Niger – Gov Bello On Wednesday, a police chief in Goma asked locals to ta...

Size of Nigeria Armed Forces, Police Inadequate – Osinbajo

21May

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Armed Forces, Elections, News, Nigeria, Security

Size of Nigeria Armed Forces, Police Inadequate – Osinbajo

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, on Friday, said to effectively secure the country, more people should be recruited into the police and the military. Osinbajo said this in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, during his engagement with delegates ahead of the presidential primary of the All Progressives Congress. Answering questions from the delegates and party leaders during the consultation, Osinbajo, who had earlier visited the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji, said apart from engaging more hands, the country must also expand its capacity to produce weapons locally. He said, “The size of the Armed Forces is too low for the population of Nigeria. A local government in Niger State, Mashegu, has the land mass the size of South-East states and Lagos State with about a 100 p...