TheNewsGuru

Tag: Mali

  • Immigration service repatriates 62 Mali nationals

    Immigration service repatriates 62 Mali nationals

    The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Illela Border Command in Sokoto State, has confirmed the repatriation of 62 Republic of Mali nationals through the Illela Control Post.

    The Controller of the command, Mr Tony Akuneme, who disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja, added that they comprised of 51 males and 11 females.

    Akuneme said the Mali nationals were escorted from the NIS headquarters in Abuja to Illela Border in Sokoto, by a team of eight officers led by Insp. Mamoud Sadiq, in two buses.

    He said that the team arrived the border post at about 8:00pm on Friday.

    “Upon their arrival, I directed the Assistant Controller in charge of Human Resources, Adamu Mshelia, who also doubled as the Officer in Charge of Anti-Smuggling Unit (ANTISOM) to oversee the proper documentation of the repatriated individuals.

    “After due procedures, the irregular migrants were handed over to officers of the Niger Republic Police at the Birnin Konni control post.

    “At Birnin Konni, the migrants underwent another round of screening and documentation before being received by the Commisere, the police chief of the area,” he added.

    In a related development, the NIS boss said that the construction of both mega and mini Forward Operating Bases (FOB) was ongoing at the Illela control post.

    He said the upgrade by the NIS Controller-General, Kemi Nandap, was in continuation of her drive to rid the country of irregular migrants across the 36 states and FCT.

    “The construction company has commenced land clearance and demolition of some dilapidated and unserviceable structures.

    “We appreciate the CG for this upgrade, which aligns with her commitment to curbing irregular and prohibited migration across the country,” he said.

    Akuneme assured the public that the situation remains calm in Illela and Tangaza areas, with military and security personnel maintaining presence to address threats from Lakurawa bandits.

  • ECOWAS cautious as Mali, B/Faso , Niger exit bloc today

    ECOWAS cautious as Mali, B/Faso , Niger exit bloc today

    The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) says the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from ECOWAS becomes effective from Jan. 29th, the commission stated on Wednesday.

    The commission’s spokesperson, Joel Ahofodji, explained that it is in line with the decision of the ECOWAS authority, and in the spirit of regional solidarity and interest of the people.

    He added that the bloc was still open to their return whenever they wanted.

    The bloc urged all relevant authorities within and outside ECOWAS Member States to take note of the development.

    The commission urged recognition of the national passports and identity cards bearing ECOWAS logo held by the citizens of Burkina Faso, the Republic of Mali and the Republic of Niger, until further notice.

    It also urged all concerned to continue to treat goods and services coming from the three countries in accordance with the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS) and investment policy.

    ECOWAS also urged them to allow citizens of the three affected countries to continue to enjoy the right of visa free movement, residence and establishment in accordance with the ECOWAS protocols until further notice.

    The commission also urged all to provide full support and cooperation to ECOWAS officials from the three countries in the course of their assignments for the community.

    “These arrangements will be in place until the full determination of the modalities of our future engagement with the three countries by the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government.

    “The Commission has set up a structure to facilitate discussions on these modalities with each of the three countries.

    “This message is necessary to avoid confusion and disruption in the lives and businesses of our people during this transition period,” Ahofodji added.

    NAN reports that the three Sahel countries had on Jan. 29, 2024, declared their intention to quit ECOWAS within 12 months in line with the bloc’s protocol.

    The ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government on Dec. 2024 approved the three countries’ right to quit but said their doors were still open to return.

  • Russia’s Wagner recovers bodies of mercenaries killed in Mali

    Russia’s Wagner recovers bodies of mercenaries killed in Mali

    Russia’s Wagner mercenary group said that its fighters had recovered the bodies of its mercenaries killed in a July battle with Tuareg rebels and Islamists during a desert sandstorm in Mali.

    Mali, where military authorities seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021, is battling a years-long Islamist insurgency.

    Wagner said in July that it took heavy losses in the battle but has given few details.

    “An operation was successfully completed to return the bodies of our brothers, who in July 2024 heroically took up the fight with Islamists many times outnumbered,” Wagner said in a rare statement on Telegram late on Tuesday.

    The loss of the battle in July illustrated the dangers faced by Russian mercenary forces working for military juntas, which are struggling to contain separatists and powerful offshoots of Islamic State and Al Qaeda across the arid Sahel region in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.

    Wagner said its fighters had passed through a desert area near Tinzaouaten in north Mali that was “teeming with Azawad militants”.

    “The bodies of our fallen brothers will return to the homeland,” Wagner said.

    “We do not leave our own, and all of them – dead or alive – will be returned home,” it added.

  • Rebel attack: Mali breaks off relations with Ukraine

    Rebel attack: Mali breaks off relations with Ukraine

    Mali’s transitional government has broken off diplomatic relations with Ukraine.

    The move, which was announced on Sunday evening, follows a rebel attack in the country that left dozens of Malian soldiers and Russian mercenaries dead.

    A representative of the Ukrainian military intelligence service had previously said that Kiev had helped the rebel Tuareg in an ambush on a convoy of the Malian army.

    The Wagner mercenaries supported them over a week ago.

    As a consequence, Mali will in future regard support for Ukraine as support for international terrorism, the statement continued.

    An unconfirmed photo showing Tuareg fighters with a Ukrainian flag was also circulating on the internet.

    “They have received the necessary information to enable them to carry out a successful military operation against the Russian war criminals,” said Andriy Yusov on Ukrainian television last week.

    At the same time, he announced further operations of this kind in Africa.

    “The monopoly of the Russian private armies in Africa is coming to an end and opposing forces are emerging that can put these criminals in their place,’’ said the intelligence officer.

    According to the separatist Tuareg, 84 Russian mercenaries and 47 Malian soldiers were killed in several days of fighting at the end of July around the village of Tinzaouatène on the border with Algeria.

    There was also talk of more than 80 casualties on Wagner-affiliated channels, representing the heaviest Russian losses to date in West Africa.

    The Islamist terrorist group GSIM, which is allied with al-Qaeda, also attacked the convoy.

    Whether the Tuareg cooperated with the Islamists remained unconfirmed.

  • Paris 2024: Israel’s opening football match passes security test

    Paris 2024: Israel’s opening football match passes security test

    Israel’s opening Olympic football match against Mali on Wednesday passed the first major security test ahead of the Games’ official opening ceremony.

    This was as fans from both sides sought to play down the political context and enjoy the action.
    France deployed about 1,000 police officers backed by Israel’s own internal security service, Shin Bet, to welcome thousands of supporters for the evening kick-off.

    They cordoned off the streets around the Parc des Princes in western Paris and set up a perimeter a few kilometres away from the stadium.

    The Paris 2024 Summer Games is taking place amid pronounced security concerns and heightened geopolitical tensions, including the one generated over Israel’s war in Gaza.

    Israeli competitors are being escorted by elite tactical units to and from events and given 24-hour protection throughout the Olympics, officials say.

    But the Group D match, which ended in a 1-1 draw, and was attended by French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin and Israeli President Isaac Herzog, was spared of any major incidents.

    This was helped by both sets of supporters seeking to put to one side the politics.
    Malian and Israeli flags were abundant and the pre-match was good-natured with supporters mingling.

    Inside the stadium, Malian supporters appeared to out-number and out-sing their Israeli rivals.

    The Israeli national anthem was initially booed before those cries were drowned out, while a few supporters waved Palestinian flags.

    A handful of people at the start of the game stood near the pitch wearing white t-shirts each with a letter to read out “Free Palestine.”

    After a minute, stewards intervened.

    “I don’t really care about the minority who don’t want Israel here,” said Michael Levy, 50, whose nephew Ethan plays in the Israeli team.

    He added that he was at the stadium to have fun and enjoy the football.

    “Anti-semitism is a disease and I’m not here to be the cure.”

    Other Israeli fans also said they wanted an Olympic truce to forget the war in Gaza and enjoy the festivities.

    Mali, a mainly Muslim state, broke off ties with Israel in 1973 after the Yom Kippur war.

    As a former French colony, there is a large Malian diaspora in France and they came out in force to back their players.

    Aisha Cisse, dressed in a traditional dress in the yellow, green and red colours of Mali, had travelled from Bamako and follows the country’s football teams at all international tournaments.

    She danced and sang her support, saying she was simply in France to watch The Eagles, the team’s nickname, win.

    The heavy security presence appeared to dampen any hope of protests against Israel’s participation in the Games as some, including French far-left lawmakers, had urged.

    “We are here for the football and we shouldn’t mix politics with football,” said Franco-Malian Kouma, 31, who works in the restaurant business.

    The Israel-Mali match offered a first snapshot of how other competitors and the wider public respond to Israeli participation in the Games.

    The Paris 2024 Games take place five decades after Palestinian militants killed 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

    At their training headquarters in Croissy, some 20 kilometres west of Paris, the Israeli players on Tuesday sought to come across as relaxed, but there was some tension in the air.

    Media minders yelled “only football” when reporters attempted to ask questions about the political backdrop.

    “We came here to win and achieve things with this team and are very excited,” Omri Gandelman, a midfielder who plays for Belgian side Gent, told reporters. “We have a job to do.”

  • Despite pleas to return, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso military leaders celebrate divorce from ECOWAS

    Despite pleas to return, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso military leaders celebrate divorce from ECOWAS

    …endorse Confederation Treaty

    Despite pleas to return, the military regimes of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso marked their divorce from the rest of West Africa Saturday, with Niger’s ruling general saying the junta-led countries have “turned their backs on” the regional bloc.

    Notably, Senegal’s new President Bassirou Diomaye Faye said in late May that reconciliation between ECOWAS and the three Sahel countries was possible.

    In June, his newly re-elected Mauritanian counterpart, President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, called on West African countries to unite again against the expansion of jihadism.

    But successive summits on the same weekend raises fears of a stiffening of positions between AES and ECOWAS.

    “I do not see the AES countries seeking to return to ECOWAS. I think it’s ECOWAS will have to tone it down (the situation),” Nigerien lawyer Djibril Abarchi told AFP.

    While AES is currently an economic and defence cooperation body, its three member countries have repeatedly expressed their desire to go further.

    At the end of June, Colonel Goita assured that cooperation within the AES had taken “a path of no return” during a visit to Ouagadougou, Burkina’s capital.

    The potential creation of a new common currency would also mean leaving behind the CFA franc they currently share with neighbouring countries.

    “Leaving a currency zone is not easy,” warned Yabi. “Any country can change its currency, but it takes a lot of time and requires a clear political choice as well as a technical and financial preparation process.”

    Issoufou Kado, a Nigerien financial expert and political analyst, agreed: “They have to be very careful, because the mechanism takes time.”

  • Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger finalize plans to form Confederation of the Alliance of Sahel States

    Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger finalize plans to form Confederation of the Alliance of Sahel States

    Plans to form a bloc by the military administration of  three West Africa countries, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have reached final stage.

    The three countries will form Confederation of the Alliance of Sahel States few years after turning their backs on former colonial ruler France to seek closer ties with Russia.

    The foreign ministers of the three West African countries met Friday in Niger’s capital Niamey to agree on a text establishing the Confederation of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).

    “The objective was to finalise the draft text relating to the institutionalisation and operationalisation of the Confederation of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES)”, said Niger Foreign Minister Bakary Yaou Sangare as he read the final statement late Friday.

    According to Sangare, the text would be adopted by the heads of state of the three countries at a summit, without specifying the date.

    “We can consider very clearly, today, that the Confederation of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) has been born,” Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop said after meeting General Abdourahamane Tiani, the head of Nigerien military regime.

    The third foreign minister at the meeting was Burkina Faso’s Karamoko Jean-Marie Traore.

    The Sahel region has been subject to deadly jihadist violence for years, which they accused France of not being able to curb.

    The three countries said late January they were quitting The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which they said was under French influence, to create their own regional grouping.

  • International friendly: Iheanacho, Dessers fire blanks as Super Eagles lose 2-0 to Mali

    International friendly: Iheanacho, Dessers fire blanks as Super Eagles lose 2-0 to Mali

    The Super Eagles of Nigeria ended the March international break on a losing note as they were defeated by the Eagles of Mali 2-0 in Marrakech on Tuesday night.

    Atalanta striker El Bilal Toure scored first for the Malians inside 42nd minute after Nigeria had been pressured into a dreadful error in possession following a short goal kick, with Kamory Doumbia making the win safe with three minutes of normal time remaining.

    Nigeria defeated Ghana 2-1 last Friday in a positive result and performance for George, the former Ajax and Real Betis winger who won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations, but this display will have left him with plenty of concerns before they resume World Cup qualifying in June.

    Toure, who has endured an injury-plagued season in Serie A, could barely believe his luck when defender Chidozie Awaziem tried to play a long square pass under pressure near the edge of the Nigeria box and succeeded only in crossing the ball straight to the Mali striker. He controlled well on his chest before bundling a finish past goalkeeper Stanely Nwabali.

    The Super Eagles not only lost the match, Winger Moses Simon cropped a serious injury as he was streched off the pitch and was replaced by Rangers forward, Cyriel Dessers who also missed a glorious opportunity to score in the game.

     

     

  • Int’l friendly: Super Eagles hand Mali first win in 49 years

    Int’l friendly: Super Eagles hand Mali first win in 49 years

    The Super Eagles were given a reality check by Mali’s Les Aigles as they succumbed to a 0-2 defeat in a friendly game in Marrakech, Morocco on Tuesday.

    The rare win by the Malians against Nigeria was their first in 49 years. Goals by El Bilal Toure and Kamory Doumbia sealed the win for Mali.

    The last time Mali defeated the Super Eagles was on Sept. 5, 1975, also in a friendly which ended 4-1.

    Prior to Tuesday’s game, the Eagles were unbeaten in eight straight fixtures against the Malians, recording five wins and three draws.

    Interim coach, Finidi George, gave starting shirts to Jamilu Collins, Raphael Onyedika, and Kenneth Omeruo.

    The trio replaced Bruno Onyemaechi, Frank Onyeka and Benjamin Tanimu, who all featured in the 2-1 win against Ghana on Friday.

    The Malians dominated the early stages of the game and almost took the lead less than five minutes into the game, but were denied by goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali.

    The breakthrough for Mali eventually came in the 14th minute as El Bilal Toure capitalised on a defensive error by Nigeria to score.

    The Eagles were forced into a first half change as Moses Simon went off injured in 34th minute and was replaced by Cyriel Dessers.

    The early part of the second half saw the Super Eagles start brightly but the Malian defence held firm.

    Despite starting the half on a positive note, it was Mali who almost doubled their lead but the Eagles defence intercepted a dangerous cross from the left.

    Dessers was presented an opportunity in the 65th minute as he was sent through on goal but blasted his shot over the bar with only the keeper to beat.

    Iheanacho had a chance of his own barely a minute later, but took a low shot which was parried away for a corner.

    With 12 minutes left, the Eagles won a freekick in a decent position but Iheanacho’s floated attempt was again cleared away by the keeper.

    Mali then doubled their lead in the 87th minute thanks to Kamory Doumbia who raced into the Eagles’ 18 yard box and fired past Nwabali to earn his side a well deserved win.

    Up next for the Super Eagles is the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in June against South Africa who held Algeria to a 3-3 draw at the Nelson Mandela Stadium on Tuesday.

  • International Break: We want another win – Iwobi speaks ahead Mali clash

    International Break: We want another win – Iwobi speaks ahead Mali clash

    Alex Iwobi says the Super Eagles want to end the international break with a win against Mali.

    Super Eagles midfielder, Alex Iwobi has posited that the team wants to finish the international break with another win.

    Super Eagles play the Eagles of Mali tonight in Marrakech, Morocco.

    Finidi George’s side will take on their fellow West Africans at the Grand Stade de Marrakech on Tuesday night (today) at exactly 10pm Nigerian time.

    It would be recalled that Iwobi registered an assist as the Super Eagles defeated eternal rivals Ghana 2-1 last Friday.

    The Fulham midfielder stated that it is important for the team to secure another victory against the Eagles.

    “We have analysed and seen our weak points from the last game. We know where we need to improve and what we can do to get another win,” Iwobi said ahead of the game.

    “We don’t really win most of our friendlies. We beat Ghana and hopefully will end this international break with another win against Mali.”

    The Super Eagles defeated Mali 1-0 the last time both countries met on May 27, 2016.

    Kelechi Iheanacho scored the only goal of the game played in the French City of Rouen.