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Air France has extended the suspension of its flights to and from Bamako and Ouagadougou until August 18, affecting accessibility to the Sahel country, following the coup d’état in Niger
Air France has extended the suspension of its flights to and from Bamako and Ouagadougou until August 18, affecting accessibility to the Sahel country, following the coup d’état in Niger. The airline, which used to be the dominant airline company operating in the region also said that the geopolitical situation in the Sahel region was not conducive for operation.
The West African countries of ECOWAS gave the green light on Thursday to the use of force to restore the ousted President Mohamed Bazoum. However, it stressed the need for using first the diplomatic means to resolve the crisis and military intervention as the last option. The closure of Niger’s airspace is forcing companies to make large detours to reach Europe, lengthening flight times.
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https://trendsnafrica.com/ecowas-meet-on-coming-thursday-to-firm-up-future-action-on-niger/
Air France is in contact with the French authorities to monitor permanently the evolution of the geopolitical situation of the territories served and overflown by its aircraft keeping in view the safety of its customers and its crews. In the meantime, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat expressed serious concern about the deterioration of the conditions of detention of Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum. He said that the treatment meted out to him by the military authorities was inadmissible.
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According to the NGO Human Rights Watch, which spoke to Bazoum, the deposed President described the treatment of him and his family as inhuman and cruel, saying that he had had no electricity since August 2, nor any human contact for a week. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who heads the ECOWAS presently by virtue of its rotating presidency said recently, hoped to reach a peaceful resolution while indicating the use of force was only the last resort.
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Coup in Mali has engaged international attention since it is the latest country in the Sahel region to come under the grip of the military junta. Importantly, its immediate neighbors -Mali and Burkina Faso- are under military rule, by deposing the democratically elected governments. There is a proxy war going on between the West on the one side and Russia on the other side, how the political instabilities are happening in the Sahel region torn by poverty and Jihadist aggressions. France has openly accused Russia, particularly its private army Wagner of covert operations. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently in a media interview said that Russia and Wagner might not have triggered the recent coup in Niger, but asserted that they were taking advantage f the present situation.
