The Latest Breaking News from Niger

West African regional bloc ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) on Wednesday said it sent a delegation to Niger to negotiate with the coup leaders who seized power last week, adding that a military intervention in the junta-led country was “the last option”. The diplomatic push comes as French…

In tonight's edition: As the first few hundred French and European nationals are evacuated from coup-hit Niger, the military governments of Mali and Burkina Faso say any foreign armed intervention in Niamey will be treated as a declaration of war against them all. Also, two protesters are killed in demonstrations…

A former jihadi fighter says the coup in Niger could boost the ability of Islamic extremists to recruit in the country, potentially increasing violence and further threatening the stability of Africa’s Sahel region

France began the evacuation of hundreds of European citizens from Niger on Tuesday, a day after neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso said any outside intervention to restore the ousted government would be seen as a declaration of war.

The coup in Niger has prompted concerns the West African country could curtail uranium exports, possibly hamstringing nuclear power production in France and beyond. But so far, source diversification and well-stocked inventories should be able to mitigate any disruptions in the short term, experts say.

Niger’s prime minister, who has been stuck outside the country since last week’s coup, is appealing to the international community’s help in rolling back the military takeover, saying it was crucial for the defense of democracy in West Africa

West Africa’s regional bloc known as ECOWAS has threatened the use of force in reinstating the president of Niger after was deposed by his military but how the bloc would carry out the threat remains unclear

Mining operations continue in Niger, world’s seventh largest producer of uranium, despite last week’s military takeover.

Niger has some of the world’s most extensive deposits of uranium, a key ingredient in the nuclear industry.

The Russian Wagner Group’s boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has hailed the coup as a move towards independence from the West.

Niger coup presents a diplomatic dilemma for the West African bloc whose new leadership is keen to entrench a new order.