Foreign
Niger crisis: Tinubu welcomes Central Africa’s support for ECOWAS
President Bola Tinubu has praised the solidarity of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) on the political impasse in the Republic of Niger.
This is contained in a statement by Mr Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, on Tuesday in Abuja.
The President spoke when he received the Special Envoy of President Ali Bongo Ondimba and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Gabon, Mr Hermann Immongault, at the State House in Abuja on Tuesday.
The President said the special message of support and solidarity from President Bongo, who doubles as the Chairman of ECCAS, expressed the full support of ECOWAS resolutions on the unconstitutional takeover of government in Niger.
This, according to him, proved once more, that military interference in democratic governance is not acceptable anywhere, and certainly, no longer in the African continent.
“I appreciate the solidarity and support of President Bongo on the situation in Niger. We are working not to compound the problem. We have well-meaning people who have intervened.
“I understand the fear of our people on any form of military action. We are working to keep the sanctions in place, and we are following them to the letter.
“We are happy to know that ECCAS is with us on this. Interference in democratic governance is not acceptable to ECOWAS.”
Tinubu, who is also Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, promised to work with Bongo and the ECCAS to restore constitutional order in Niger.
He reinforced the position of the regional body not to accept any attempt by the military junta in Niger to intimidate and harass President Mohamed Bazoum.
“We will work with ECCAS and keep President Bongo informed on our actions and we will continue to collaborate,” Tinubu assured.
In his remarks, the Special Envoy commended the leadership of ECOWAS and President Tinubu for the steps taken so far to restore democracy in Niger.
He added that Bongo and ECCAS were in full support of all ECOWAS resolutions on the Niger Republic military takeover.
“President Bongo has been following your efforts and those of other ECOWAS leaders on the situation in Niger. President Bongo and ECCAS strongly condemn the coup in Niger.
“He sent me here to tell you that he supports ECOWAS and your leadership in what you are doing to ensure democratic governance is restored in Niger.
“With Boko Haram attacks in Cameroon, piracy in the Gulf of Guinea and the refugee situation in Chad, whatever happens in West Africa affects Central Africa.
“My President joins efforts with you and ECOWAS to find a solution to the crisis in ECOWAS,” he said.
The Special Envoy said he would communicate the firm solidarity between ECCAS and ECOWAS to the military authorities in Niger as they meet in the coming days.
German authorities have arrested three teenagers aged 15 and 16 on suspicion of plotting a deadly Islamist terrorist attack in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, prosecutors said on Friday.
The state’s Central Office for the Prosecution of Terrorism (ZenTer NRW) sought an arrest warrant for the teenagers over the Easter holiday.
They were suspected of plotting a terrorist attack in accordance with the aims and ideology of (extremist militia organisation) Islamic State.
The detained suspects are a 15-year-old girl from Dusseldorf, a 16-year-old girl from the Märkischer Kreis district and a 15-year-old boy from the Soest district, located about 100 kilometres to the east of Dusseldorf.
A fourth suspect has reportedly been identified in the south-western German state of Baden-Württemberg, and the local court there has issued an arrest warrant.
According to the investigators, the teenagers are accused of having agreed to commit murder and manslaughter.
This is in conjunction with the preparation of a serious act of violence endangering the state.
The presumption of innocence applied in all stages of the proceedings.
Security sources told newsmen that the young people had formed a chat group, but had not drawn up a concrete attack plan for a particular time and place.
However, sources said the cities of Dortmund, Dusseldorf and Cologne were discussed as targets, and attacks with knives and Molotov cocktails on people in churches or police officers in police stations had been considered.
The sources said authorities had also conducted searches as part of the investigation.
A machete and a dagger were seized in Dusseldorf, but no evidence of the construction of incendiary devices was discovered.
Sources said the father of the Dusseldorf suspect had already attracted attention from authorities in the past because he had allegedly collected donations for the Islamic State.
The investigators declined to reveal how the suspected terrorists were tracked down, but said that foreign intelligence agencies “did not play a role.”
Russia on Monday officially recognised Vladimir Putin as a candidate for the presidential elections in March, a vote that he is all but certain to win.
The 71-year-old has led Russia since the turn of the century, winning four presidential ballots and briefly serving as prime minister in a system where opposition has become virtually non-existent.
The Central Election Commission said it had registered Putin, who nominated himself, as well as right-wing firebrand and Putin-loyalist Leonid Slutsky as candidates for the vote.
The election will be held over a three-day period from March 15 to 17, a move that Kremlin critics have argued makes guaranteeing transparency more difficult.
Following a controversial constitutional reform in 2020, Putin could stay in power until at least 2036.
Rights groups say that previous elections have been marred by irregularities and that independent observers are likely to be barred from monitoring the vote.
While Putin is not expected to face any real competition, liberal challenger Boris Nadezhdin has passed the threshold of signatures to be registered as a candidate.
However, it is still unclear if he will be allowed to run, and the Kremlin has said it does not consider him to be a serious rival.
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