Latest news with #MohamedToumba
Libya Review
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Libya Review
Libya Deports Hundreds of Migrants to Niger
A Nigerien human rights organisation, Alarm Phone Sahara, reported that at least 783 migrants – most of them Nigerien nationals, including women and minors – were deported from Libya and returned to remote desert towns in northern Niger between 28 March and 25 April. The deportees remain stranded, as Niger's authorities refuse to allow them entry. The organisation revealed that the migrants had mostly been held in Libyan detention centres before being forcibly expelled. They were left in isolated towns such as Madama, Lataye, and Seguedine, all located in the desert region of Kawar, where access to humanitarian aid is limited. Alarm Phone Sahara confirmed one fatality among the 407 migrants in the latest convoy arriving in Madama on 25 April. This group included 10 Burkinabè and 7 Nigerians. The organisation also expressed deep concern over migrants reportedly stranded in the desert after their vehicle broke down, exposed to extreme weather without adequate resources. According to the group, Libyan security forces are pushing migrants southwards from areas under the control of the eastern-based General Command. Migrants are reportedly rounded up during public raids, placed on trucks, and either deported directly to southern Libya or detained before forced transfer to Niger. Testimonies gathered by the group describe strict controls along the Libya-Niger border, with Niger opposing the entry of non-Nigerien deportees and threatening to return them to Libya. The deportations sparked strong condemnation from Niger's Interior Minister Mohamed Toumba during an April meeting with an International Organization for Migration (IOM) delegation. Toumba labelled the expulsions 'unacceptable' and said they violated international cooperation norms. Since the July 2023 coup, Niger's junta repealed anti-human trafficking law 036/2015, prompting increased irregular migration flows to Libya and Algeria. The EU suspended its migration cooperation with Niger after the coup. Tags: DeportationImmigrationlibyamigrantsNiger
Morocco World
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
Algeria Expelled Nearly 5,000 African Migrants to Niger Since Early April
Doha – Algeria has expelled 4,975 African migrants to neighboring Niger since early April, exacerbating already strained diplomatic relations between the two countries, according to Niger's state television. 'Algeria, as is its habit, in defiance of African and international laws and conventions, has undertaken to expel thousands of African nationals, including Nigeriens, from its territory,' Télé Sahel, Niger's state television station, declared earlier this week. Between April 1-21, Algerian authorities forced out 2,753 Nigerien citizens, including 308 minors and 196 women, according to security officials in Assamaka, a Nigerien town on the Algerian border. These migrants arrived by what are termed 'official convoys' – transported in vehicles and received by local authorities under bilateral agreements. During the same period, an additional 2,222 'pedestrian deportees' reached Assamaka, including 146 Nigeriens and 2,076 foreigners from other African countries. These individuals were abandoned at 'point zero,' a desert area marking the border, forcing them to walk approximately 15 kilometers in extreme weather conditions to reach Assamaka. 'If we're not careful, the severity of this humanitarian crisis could transform into a catastrophe,' warned Télé Sahel. The channel broadcast footage showing exhausted migrants arriving in Assamaka with injuries to their feet from walking and wounds on their arms and faces allegedly inflicted by Algerian security forces. Read also: New York Times Unmasks 'Hell' of Algeria's Mass Deportation Campaign The expulsions come amid deteriorating relations between Algeria and the Sahel states. Recently, Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso – members of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) – recalled their ambassadors from Algeria after accusing Algerian forces of shooting down a Malian drone. Algeria has rejected these accusations, claiming it shot down an armed surveillance drone that had violated its airspace. 'The case of deportees we receive from Algeria is a situation that disturbs the security balance of Niger,' stated General Mohamed Toumba, Niger's Interior Minister, in late January. He requested that the UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) help return migrants to their countries of origin. Diplomatic tensions between the two countries intensified last year when Niger's military authorities summoned the Algerian ambassador to protest against the 'violent nature' of these deportation operations. Algeria responded by summoning Niger's ambassador and dismissing the allegations as 'unfounded.' Since 2014, irregular migrants from Niger and other African countries, including women and minors, have been regularly expelled from Algeria, which serves as a transit point to Europe. More than 31,000 migrants were deported from Algeria to Niger in 2024, a record number according to the Nigerien NGO Alarme Phone Sahara. Some reports suggest Algeria's increased deportations may be linked to negotiations for diplomatic relations with Israel by Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, as well as a possible retaliation for Niger's solidarity with Mali in the ongoing diplomatic crisis between Algeria and the AES countries.
Al Bawaba
23-03-2025
- Politics
- Al Bawaba
Attack on mosque kills 44 civilians in Niger
BAMAKO, Mali At least 44 people were killed and 13 injured in a 'deliberate strike against civilians' on Friday in southwestern Niger, Interior Minister Mohamed Toumba said on state television. The assault in the village of Fonbita in the rural commune of Kokorou happened when militants identified as members of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) stormed a mosque, targeting worshippers. Toumba said the attack left four of the 13 who were wounded in critical condition. The ministry condemned the assault as a "cowardly and inhumane act" and vowed to intensify efforts to combat terrorism in the region. The Nigerien government declared 72 hours of national mourning beginning Saturday to honor the victims. Flags will fly at half-mast across the country, and public events are expected to be subdued as the nation grieves. The southwestern region of Niger, particularly areas near the borders with Mali and Burkina Faso, has seen a surge in violence in recent years, with groups like the ISGS exploiting instability to carry out deadly raids on villages and security forces. The attack underscores the security challenges facing the Sahel nation, despite efforts by the government and international partners to curb the insurgency. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, though the Interior Ministry's attribution to ISGS aligns because of the group's known presence in the region. Authorities have promised a thorough investigation and a robust response to bring the perpetrators to justice. The latest killings add to a growing toll of civilian casualties in Niger, where communities remain vulnerable to the persistent threat of extremist violence.
Al-Ahram Weekly
01-03-2025
- Climate
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Niger's 2024 floods killed 400, affected 1.5 mln: Toll - Africa
Nearly 400 people died in Niger and more than 1.5 million others were affected by floods triggered by last year's exceptionally torrential rains, according to a final toll announced on Saturday. "Floods caused the deaths of 396 people during the course of 2024," said Interior Minister Mohamed Toumba. He said a further 405 were injured and more than 200,000 households, amounting to 1,526,653 people, were affected. Scientists have long warned that climate change driven by man-made fossil fuel emissions is increasing the likelihood, intensity and length of extreme weather events such as severe droughts and torrential rains. The severe droughts in Africa's Sahel region exacerbate the flooding because the dry, hard soil loses much of its capacity to absorb water when it rains again. Last year's exceptionally violent rainy season, which lasted from June to September, even touched the arid north on the edge of the Sahara. In Agadez - known as the gateway to the desert - the UNESCO-listed historic old town and its 16th-century Grand Mosque suffered damage. Certain parts of the vast country recorded up to 200 percent more rain than in previous years, according to the national weather office. The southern regions of Dosso, Maradi and Zinder and the western region of Tahoua were especially hard-hit, according to the disaster management ministry. In Zinder, the rains caused the 19th-century mud brick mosque to collapse. It was one of the most visited sites in the country after the Agadez Mosque. Even the capital, Niamey, was temporarily cut off from the rest of the country because of rain damage to roads. Damage to schools, and the fact they were used as shelter by thousands of displaced people, caused the military junta to delay the start of the school year by nearly a month to October 28. Last year's rains destroyed more than 158,000 homes and killed 31,000 livestock. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Russia Today
27-01-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
France using ‘Trojan horse' tactic to destabilize former colony
France is deploying underhanded methods in its attempt to destabilize Niger, the West African nation's minister of the interior, public security, and territorial administration, General Mohamed Toumba, has alleged. The official made the claims in an interview on national television on Saturday, the Nigerien News Agency reported. General Toumba accused the former colonial power of allying with Niger's neighbors to undermine the country, which has been plagued by a deadly jihadist insurgency for years. 'We must be doubly vigilant to contain the situation,' he warned, claiming that France uses 'Trojan horses.' The security chief's remarks are the latest in a string of accusations Niamey has leveled at Paris in recent months. Last month, Nigerien transitional leader General Abdourahamane Tchiani accused France of aiming to cause instability in the landlocked country and the Sahel region by funding terrorist groups in neighboring Nigeria and Benin. Relations between Niger and France have deteriorated since Niamey's July 2023 coup, which sparked anti-French protests across the country. The former French colony followed the lead of its allies, Burkina Faso and Mali, in breaking off defense ties with Paris. The three countries, all ruled by militaries, have cited France's meddling and failure to put an end to the decade-long militant violence in the Sahel as reasons for expelling French troops. Niamey, Bamako, and Ouagadougou have welcomed Russia as a strategic partner and have signed security agreements with Moscow. READ MORE: African nation accuses France of financing terrorists On Tuesday, Nigerien Defense Minister Salifou Mody announced that Bamako, Niamey, and Ouagadougou were preparing to deploy a 'united force' of 5,000 troops to conflict zones in the Sahel region. Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting, Russian representative Vassily Nebenzia expressed Moscow's support for the deployment. Nebenzia criticized former colonial powers for maintaining a military foothold in the region under the guise of fighting terrorism despite their presence being 'no longer welcomed.' READ MORE: How this former French colony is now a 'successful model' for Africa Earlier this month, French President Emmanuel Macron criticized the Sahel states for failing to thank France for protecting them from a militant onslaught. He claimed none of the African nations that France had purportedly assisted during its 2013 military operation would have been able to withstand attacks from extremist groups without support. On Saturday, Niger's security minister stated that military cooperation with France 'ended up creating desolation' in the African country. 'These forces did not give a security guarantee. These actors allowed themselves everything. They used subterfuges to avoid reacting,' Gen Toumba stated.
