Niger junta arrests top politicians, Germany withdraws aid

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Niger junta arrests top politicians, Germany withdraws aid

Coup leaders in Niger Republic on Monday arrested ministers and senior members of the party of the deposed President Mohamed Bazoum.

According to Reuters, the Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism said junta forces arrested the ousted government’s mines minister, the head of the ruling party, and oil minister Mahamane Mahamadou, who is also the son of former president Issoufou Mahamadou.

The party added that the interior minister, transport minister, and a deputy had already been detained.

While calling on citizens to come together to protect democracy, the party said, “The arrests confirm the repressive and dictatorial nature of the coup leaders.”

The arrests were announced a day after Chadian President Mahamat Deby arrived in Niger to try to mediate between the coup leaders and the ousted government.

Reuters also reported that the International Monetary Fund said that it had not yet taken any action in response to the coup but was closely monitoring developments.

The report said IMF had yet to disburse a $131.5m loan to Niger that was approved on July 5.

However, sources told Reuters that the regional central bank had cancelled Niger’s planned 30 billion CFA ($51m) bond issuance, scheduled for Monday in the West African regional debt market, following sanctions.

Also, Aljazeera on Monday reported that Germany had suspended financial aid and halted cooperation with Niger as a result of the coup.

Already, the EU and France had suspended financial support, while the U.S. had also threatened to do the same.

ECOWAS, apart from planning military operations in Niger, also imposed economic sanctions on the country.

Meanwhile, a report by France24 stated that the coup leaders on Monday accused France of wanting to “intervene militarily” to reinstate the country’s elected President Mohamed Bazoum, who was deposed in a military coup last week.

“In its search for ways and means to intervene militarily in Niger, France with the complicity of some Nigeriens, held a meeting with the chief of staff of the Nigerien national guard to obtain the necessary political and military authorisation needed,” said a statement read out on national television.

Responding to the allegations, the French foreign ministry said it was focused on guaranteeing the security of its nationals.he Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, says the commission needs partnership to achieve its mandate of developing the Niger Delta region.

A statement on Monday by NDDC Director, Corporate Affairs, Dr Ibitoye Abosede, said Ogbuku spoke during a visit to his office in Port Harcourt by a delegation from the Stanbic IBTC Bank.

Ogbuku said, “Right now, our core policy focus is partnerships that will bring positive changes to the Niger Delta region. We are working on our internal governance systems to ensure that we comply with global best practices.

“Partnerships should not be solely profit-driven. Sustainability should be at the forefront of whatever we are doing. We require a mutually beneficial partnership that outlives our tenure.”

Speaking earlier, the leader of the delegation and Country Head, Public Sector Group, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Hadjia Hauwa Bello, commended Ogbuku for the successes recorded since he took the leadership mantle at the NDDC.

Bello explained that the bank’s delegation visited the NDDC to forge an alliance with the commission for the benefit of staff members.