Diplomatic Briefing
Your exclusive news aggregator handpicked daily!Archive for Niger
Newsline: The Netherlands to get three new embassies
The Netherlands is to establish three new embassies, in Armenia, Niger and Burkina Faso, foreign minister Stef Blok has told MPs. The current diplomatic missions in Niamey and Ouagadougou will be expanded and given full embassy status as part of cabinet efforts to focus more attention on the Sahel region, Blok said. (https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2019/12/diplomatic-expansion-the-netherlands-to-get-three-new-embassies/) Both offices are currently satellites of the Dutch embassy in Mali. The new embassy in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, means there will also be Dutch representation throughout the region, the minister said. In addition, the current Dutch diplomatic missions in Abuja (Nigeria), Amman, Bagdad, Beijing, Bogota, Brussels, Caracas, Geneva, New York, Rabat, Tirana and Vilnius will be strengthened, Blok said. The government’s coalition accord included a commitment to spend €40m to strengthen the Dutch diplomatic presence abroad and reopen embassies and consulates. Some €10m has already been spent on adding 29 posts to the Dutch diplomatic mission south and east of the EU, because of the instability in these regions. In May 2017, the government advisory board for international affairs AIV said €70m to €80m a year needed to be spent to bring Dutch embassies up to scratch following years of cutbacks.
Newsline: State Department says ambassador did not deny U.S. military request for personnel involved in Niger attack
The U.S. ambassador in Niger did not deny support for a U.S. Special Forces unit that lost four soldiers in a deadly ambush on the border between Mali and Niger on Oct. 4, the State Department said Friday. The Times reported Thursday that the ambassador had resisisted U.S. military requests for more drones or other surveillance aircraft and additional military medical support in Niger during the weeks and months leading up to the attack. “Did the ambassador in Niger deny support or protection for military personnel involved in the attack? No,” a State Department spokesman said in a statement. The U.S. Special Forces unit was part of a broader mission run by U.S. Africa Command to train Nigerien units to counter Islamic State and Al Qaeda-linked groups trying to gain a foothold in the region. The attack is currently being investigated by the U.S. military and the FBI.
Newsline: Niger recalls ambassador to Qatar
Niger, on Saturday, said it had recalled its ambassador to Qatar, in solidarity with the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt, which cut ties with Doha on Monday. In a statement, Niger’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the decision was made, in solidarity with the four states that have banned their citizens from traveling to Doha. They have since closed off their airspace, territorial waters and land borders to Qatari vehicles, aircraft and ships. Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE announced their decision to sever diplomatic relations with Qatar on 5th June. Later, Yemen, the interim Libyan government, the Maldives, Mauritius, Comoros and Mauritania also severed diplomatic relations with Qatar. This was followed by Jordan downgrading its diplomatic relations with Qatar, and Senegal recalling its ambassador in Doha for consultations.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/region/qatar-crisis/niger-recalls-ambassador-to-qatar
Newsline: Escaped Malian killer sought in murder of US diplomat in Niger
Federal prosecutors have filed murder charges against a convicted killer who allegedly shot an American diplomat to death in Africa just hours before the American was to board a plane and head home to North Carolina for Christmas. On the night of Dec. 22, 2000, a group of Americans took William Bultemeier, a 51-year-old Department of Defense employee assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Niamey, Niger, out for a farewell dinner at a local French restaurant called La Cloche. At about 1 a.m., Bultemeier left the restaurant. Before he could get into a white Toyota SUV with diplomatic plates, a gunman identified as Mohamed demanded the keys. The accused killer, a Malian national named Alhassane Ould Mohamed, has escaped from prison twice and has already been convicted of killing four Saudis in Niger. He remains at large.
Newsline: Niger ambassador to Belgium and wife found dead
Niger’s ambassador to Belgium and his wife have been found dead at their residence, apparently the victims of carbon monoxide poisoning, the embassy says. The bodies of Issaka Djibo, 61, and his wife, Fatouma, 50, were found in their bedroom by their daughter, alerted by an embassy employee who had not heard from the ambassador. Initial findings suggested the couple died from carbon monoxide poisoning due to a faulty heater. The ambassador took up his post in January last year.
http://indepthafrica.com/niger-ambassador-to-belgium-issaka-djibo-and-wife-found-dead/
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