Government of Niger overthrown in military coup.

Started by jimmy olsen, February 19, 2010, 01:00:34 AM

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jimmy olsen

February 19, 2010, 01:00:34 AM
Will Africa ever get it's shit together? :hmm:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8523196.stm

Quote
Military coup ousts Niger president

A coup has taken place in Niger and the president has been captured after a gun battle in the capital, Niamey.

In a television announcement, a spokesman for the plotters said Niger's constitution had been suspended and all state institutions dissolved.

The country was now being led by a group called the Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy (CSRD), the spokesman said.

President Mamadou Tandja is believed to be in captivity at a military barracks.

Reports say government ministers are also being held.

Making the announcement on television, the spokesman for the coup leaders, wearing a military uniform, was surrounded by a large group of soldiers.

He called on the people of Niger to "remain calm and stay united around the ideals postulated by the CSRD", to "make Niger an example of democracy and good governance".

"We call on national and international opinions to support us in our patriotic action to save Niger and its population from poverty, deception and corruption," he added.

A newsreader on Niger television said the country's borders had been closed and a curfew was now in force.

Tensions have been growing since last year in the uranium-rich nation.

Mr Tandja was widely criticised when he changed the constitution in August to allow him to stand for a third term.

Long-term tensions

A BBC correspondent said earlier that tanks were firing and witnesses reported seeing injured people being taken to hospital.

An unnamed French official told AFP that the president had been seized.

"All I can say is that it would appear that Tandja is not in a good position," he told the news agency on condition of anonymity.

Soldiers captured Mr Tandja while he was chairing his weekly cabinet meeting, a government source told the BBC.

AFP later reported an official as saying Mr Tandja was possibly being held at a military barracks about 20km (13 miles) west of Niamey.

A witness told the news agency that the bodies of three soldiers had been taken to a military mortuary.

The situation in Niamey remains unclear - there has apparently been no large-scale deployment of military personnel.

The government and opposition have been holding on-off talks since December - mediated by the regional body Ecowas - to try to resolve the country's political crisis.

Constructive engagement

Ecowas has told the BBC that it is closely following developments in Niger.

The organisation's political director, Abdel-Fatau Musah, said that, if needed, Ecowas would be in the country as quickly as it could to ensure order was maintained and constitutional order restored as soon as possible.

Mr Musah said that while Ecowas would never recognise a military takeover, it would maintain a constructive engagement with those in authority in Niger.

Mr Tandja, a former army officer, was first voted into office in 1999 and was returned to power in an election in 2004.

Niger has experienced long periods of military rule since independence from France in 1960.

It is one of the world's poorest countries, but Mr Tandja's supporters argue that his decade in power has brought a measure of economic stability.

Under his tenure, work has begun on the world's second-biggest uranium mine, and energy deals have been signed with Chinese firms
It is far better for the truth to tear my flesh to pieces, then for my soul to wander through darkness in eternal damnation.

Jet: So what kind of woman is she? What's Julia like?
Faye: Ordinary. The kind of beautiful, dangerous ordinary that you just can't leave alone.
Jet: I see.
Faye: Like an angel from the underworld. Or a devil from Paradise.
--------------------------------------------
1 Karma Chameleon point

Syt

#1
February 19, 2010, 01:17:49 AM
Niger pleaze! :weep:
I am, somehow, less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein's brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops.
—Stephen Jay Gould

Proud owner of 42 Zoupa Points.

jimmy olsen

#2
February 19, 2010, 01:20:13 AM
It is far better for the truth to tear my flesh to pieces, then for my soul to wander through darkness in eternal damnation.

Jet: So what kind of woman is she? What's Julia like?
Faye: Ordinary. The kind of beautiful, dangerous ordinary that you just can't leave alone.
Jet: I see.
Faye: Like an angel from the underworld. Or a devil from Paradise.
--------------------------------------------
1 Karma Chameleon point

Ancient Demon

#3
February 19, 2010, 01:28:47 AM
Ancient Demon, formerly known as Zagys.

garbon

#4
February 19, 2010, 01:42:48 AM
:angry:

These antics are not amusing.
"I've never been quite sure what the point of a eunuch is, if truth be told. It seems to me they're only men with the useful bits cut off."
I drank because I wanted to drown my sorrows, but now the damned things have learned to swim.

Martinus

#5
February 19, 2010, 02:27:00 AM
RACISS!

Syt

#7
February 19, 2010, 03:57:34 AM


I am, somehow, less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein's brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops.
—Stephen Jay Gould

Proud owner of 42 Zoupa Points.

Viking

#8
February 19, 2010, 05:58:54 AM
Quote from: jimmy olsen on February 19, 2010, 01:00:34 AM
Will Africa ever get it's shit together? :hmm:


Africa's shit already is together.. it's everywhere knee deep. Together, yes, but knee deep.
First Maxim - "There are only two amounts, too few and enough."
First Corollary - "You cannot have too many soldiers, only too few supplies."
Second Maxim - "Be willing to exchange a bad idea for a good one."
Second Corollary - "You can only be wrong or agree with me."

A terrorist which starts a slaughter quoting Locke, Burke and Mill has completely missed the point.
The fact remains that the only person or group to applaud the Norway massacre are random Islamists.

Alexandru H.

#9
February 19, 2010, 06:39:14 AM
They're only restoring democracy, guys! Chill!  :rolleyes:

Grey Fox

#10
February 19, 2010, 07:05:50 AM
What do they have to take over? Sand?
Colonel Caliga is Awesome.

dps

#11
February 19, 2010, 08:10:46 AM
Quote from: jimmy olsen on February 19, 2010, 01:00:34 AM
Will Africa ever get it's shit together? :hmm:

The smart money says no, at least not within our lifetimes.  Unfortunately.

Sahib

#12
February 19, 2010, 08:15:04 AM
Stonewall=Worst Mod ever

The Larch

#13
February 19, 2010, 08:16:29 AM
Quote from: Grey Fox on February 19, 2010, 07:05:50 AM
What do they have to take over? Sand?

Huge uranium reserves, exploited by the French.

Grey Fox

#14
February 19, 2010, 08:29:20 AM
Quote from: The Larch on February 19, 2010, 08:16:29 AM
Quote from: Grey Fox on February 19, 2010, 07:05:50 AM
What do they have to take over? Sand?

Huge uranium reserves, exploited by the French.

That's not going to change, Super Sarko probably already sent the Legion to protect their assets.
Colonel Caliga is Awesome.
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