The Sahelian juntas have signed a military alliance as jihadist and separatist groups step up their attacks, As Mali s military regime pursues its drive to reassert central government authority over the Kidal region hitherto dominated by Tuareg former separatists, conflict has spread across the north, with jihadists seizing the opportunity to step up their own attacks west of Timbuktu (AC Vol 64 No 18, As Bamako pushes out the UN, Islamists seize new opportunities).
After calling regional leaders bluff over military action, Niamey s putschists say they are ready to negotiate, Serious negotiations to take Niger forward from the crisis born of the 26 July coup are at last under way after the Niamey putschists met with the envoys from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) whom they had earlier spurned.
Beyond ignoring military threats and reshuffling the army command, the ruling generals lack a strategy, In another show of insouciance, the Niamey junta named a new team of ministers a few hours before West African leaders met in Abuja on 10 August to discuss how to reinstate President Mohamed Bazoum and restore constitutional rule. It has since emerged that the junta leaders had told United States Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland on 7 August that they would kill Bazoum if neighbouring states tried to intervene militarily.