Latest news with #AirInfo
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
A Swiss woman has been kidnapped in Niger's Agadez, authorities say
BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — A Swiss citizen has been kidnapped by unidentified gunmen in Niger's city of Agadez, according to local authorities and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. This is the second citizen of a Western country to be kidnapped in Agadez this year. The woman was taken from her home in the Dagamanet neighborhood late Sunday, according to a statement by the governor of Agadez, Brig. Gen. Ibra Boulama Issa, who chaired an emergency meeting Monday on the case. The Swiss foreign affairs department said on X it had been informed of "the kidnapping of a Swiss citizen in Niger' and said investigations were under way. According to local media outlet Air Info, the Swiss national has lived in Agadez for several years with her Nigerian husband. No armed group has claimed responsibility for the abduction. Niger has long has faced attacks from armed groups including jihadists linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State organization. In January, an Austrian woman living in Niger was abducted by unidentified men and has not been found. Niger is ruled by a military junta that took power in 2023 after deposing the democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum. The new authorities ousted Western partners including the United States, which had soldiers in Niger, and forged a new security and diplomatic alliance with Russia.
Associated Press
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
A Swiss woman has been kidnapped in Niger's Agadez, authorities say
BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — A Swiss citizen has been kidnapped by unidentified gunmen in Niger's city of Agadez, according to local authorities and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. This is the second citizen of a Western country to be kidnapped in Agadez this year. The woman was taken from her home in the Dagamanet neighborhood late Sunday, according to a statement by the governor of Agadez, Brig. Gen. Ibra Boulama Issa, who chaired an emergency meeting Monday on the case. The Swiss foreign affairs department said on X it had been informed of 'the kidnapping of a Swiss citizen in Niger' and said investigations were under way. According to local media outlet Air Info, the Swiss national has lived in Agadez for several years with her Nigerian husband. No armed group has claimed responsibility for the abduction. Niger has long has faced attacks from armed groups including jihadists linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State organization. In January, an Austrian woman living in Niger was abducted by unidentified men and has not been found. Niger is ruled by a military junta that took power in 2023 after deposing the democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum. The new authorities ousted Western partners including the United States, which had soldiers in Niger, and forged a new security and diplomatic alliance with Russia.
Arab News
02-03-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Militants' ambush kills 11 soldiers in north Niger
NIAMEY: An attack claimed by Al-Qaeda-linked militants killed 11 soldiers in northern Niger near the Algerian border, local sources and media reported. According to Air Info news website, an army patrol was ambushed in the Ekade Malane area on Friday and the JNIM group claimed responsibility. It said the 11 soldiers were buried on Saturday in the presence of top officers including armed forces chief of staff Gen. Moussa Salaou Barmou. State radio confirmed the attack and death toll but said the patrol was ambushed by 'bandits.' Niger forces stationed near Algeria face occasional attacks by armed assailants. These are usually not attributed to militants, who are more active in borderlands straddling Mali and Burkina Faso. Niger's vast desert north is however a notorious corridor for illicit traffickers and a transit point for thousands of Africans hoping to reach Europe. The Sahel country is governed by a military junta which seized power in July 2023 vowing to tackle Niger's security issues. Yet unrest persists: Since the coup at least 2,400 people have been killed in attacks, according to the international conflict monitor ACLED. Together with junta-led allies Mali and Burkina Faso, Niger is setting up a joint 5,000-strong force to tackle the region's unrest.
