TOP STORIES

1. Niger strips five more citizens of nationality

A decree signed by junta leader Abdourahamane Tiani, announced Thursday evening on state television, provisionally revokes the nationality of five individuals. Their identities and the grounds for the move were not disclosed.

The decree extends a practice Tiani has used periodically since the 2023 coup, targeting critics of his government and figures linked to ousted President Mohamed Bazoum. Niger first used the mechanism in October 2024, stripping nine people close to Bazoum of their nationality; further rounds had brought the total to roughly twenty by April 2026, a figure the latest decree raises further.

Sources: RFI | ANP

2. Niger rejects Nigerian claims of coup-plot involvement

Niger's Foreign Affairs Ministry said on 17 September that no official Nigerien statement has named Nigeria among countries implicated in the failed 28-29 August destabilization attempt. The rebuttal responds to a 3 September Nigerian foreign ministry statement addressing social-media claims of Nigerian involvement — claims Niamey says it never made — and notes that the officer whose televised testimony fuelled the controversy never mentioned Nigeria by name.

Niger's ministry said it has compiled documentation on the alleged plot and reserved the right to pursue international legal action. The exchange adds to strain in Niger-Nigeria relations since Niamey's break with ECOWAS, and follows an earlier Nigerien accusation that France orchestrated the same plot.

Sources: Alwihda Info | ANP

3. AES states validate cross-border cooperation protocol

Territorial administration officials from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger met in Ouagadougou on 15-16 September and validated an additional protocol to the AES founding treaty on cross-border cooperation, alongside a new governors' consultation framework for border regions. A 2026-2027 activity roadmap was also presented; the protocol still requires ratification before taking effect.

The step marks concrete progress in the confederation's integration process, with implications for how the three juntas coordinate security and administration in frontier areas exposed to jihadist activity — though its impact depends on ratification and implementation still to come.

Sources: Journal du Niger | Sidwaya

4. US approves $414m uranium investment in Niger

The US Development Finance Corporation has approved up to $414 million in debt financing for Canadian miner Global Atomic's Dasa uranium project in Niger, the company said — roughly two years after Niger's junta ordered US troops to leave following the 2023 coup. Global Atomic describes Dasa as Africa's highest-grade uranium deposit, and people familiar with the matter called the deal a diplomatic and commercial breakthrough for Washington.

The investment could strengthen US access to uranium from Niger, the world's seventh-largest producer, as Niamey remains locked in a dispute with French state miner Orano, which lost control of key assets and has since launched international arbitration. Niger's government did not respond to a request for comment, and the project still faces security risks from persistent jihadist attacks on Nigerien forces.

Sources: Al Jazeera | Reuters/Investing.com

5. Suspected jihadists kill at least 15 in Cameroon's Far North

Armed men killed at least 15 civilians in Madegoua, near Makary in Cameroon's Far North region, in an attack around 2:00 a.m. Thursday. Assailants dragged several men from their homes, tied them up and killed them; the toll rose from an initial 13 after two more victims died of their injuries in hospital.

No group has claimed responsibility. Residents blamed Boko Haram, though a security analyst told Reuters the attack more likely bore the hallmarks of Islamic State West Africa Province; some villagers suggested it may have been retaliation for refusing an earlier order to leave the area. The instability adds to persistent insecurity in the Lake Chad Basin, which also affects displaced and refugee populations in Chad and Niger.

Sources: Tchadinfos | Reuters

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• Chad — refugee shortages at Ouré-Cassoni: MSF says more than 117,000 Sudanese refugees at the Ouré-Cassoni camp in eastern Chad face acute shortages of water and food, as new arrivals continue and humanitarian funding declines. Source
• Chad — Batha drought assessment: A ministerial delegation visiting Batha province reported alarming drying of local rivers, assessing the impact on regional food security and livelihoods. Source
• Chad — eastern disarmament operation concludes: Authorities say a three-month disarmament operation in eastern Chad seized 3,430 weapons, one of the larger reported hauls from the region's ongoing security operations. Source
• Chad — Miskine appeal: Abdoulaye Miskine, sentenced on 9 September to 15 years in prison by N'Djamena's appeals court (his three co-defendants received 10 years each), has filed a cassation appeal with Chad's Supreme Court; his defense team also raised concerns about his health after seven years in detention. Source
• Nigeria — deaths of miners in custody: Thirty-seven suspected illegal miners died in the custody of Nigeria's civil defence corps in Niger State after being arrested on 15-16 September; the governor said officials suspect a disease outbreak, but a survivor told the Associated Press that 65 detainees had been packed into a poorly ventilated cell, suggesting suffocation. Police have opened an investigation and the governor declared three days of mourning. Source
• Mali-Algeria — rapprochement continues: Algerian Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb visited Bamako on 14-15 September, saying preparations for a visit by Mali's President Assimi Goïta to Algiers, accepted on an invitation from President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, are underway; no date has been set. It follows the Mali-Algeria Grand Commission's 13th session in Bamako on 9-10 September, held after a decade-long hiatus. Source
• Mali — drone strikes investigation: An investigative report from The Africa Report, published 17 September, examines FAMa and Africa Corps drone strikes in Mali and their civilian toll. Source
• United States — congressional pressure on Mali policy: Bipartisan pressure is building in the US Congress on the Trump administration to articulate a clearer strategy toward jihadist-affected Mali, according to The Africa Report. Source