Niger junta names squadron chief as its leader

[maddezmom]

Source: AP

Feb. 19, 2010, 3:14AM
Niamey, Niger — A junta that seized power in a coup in the West African nation of Niger named a squadron chief as its leader Friday, hours after soldiers announced on state TV that their group was in charge of the uranium-rich country.

In a statement, the junta named itself the Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy and said it was being led by Salou Djibo.

Armed soldiers stormed the presidential palace Thursday, kidnapping the country's strongman president. The whereabouts of President Mamadou Tandja remained unknown Friday.

In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said Tandja may have invited his own fate by "trying to extend his mandate in office."

Both the United States and ECOWAS have expressed our concerns about that, and obviously that may well have been an act on his behalf that precipitated this act today," Crowley said Thursday, while adding that the U.S. does not defend the violent takeover. ECOWAS is a regional bloc of 15 West African countries.


Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/top/all/6874884.html

[dipsydoodle]

1. You're here with me

and I do find that use of the word even with that spelling alarms me. I've got the proper Complete Oxford English Dictionary , not the US version , here at home which confirms the origin of the n word prior to misuse being simply descriptive of people from Niger back in the year dot. :(

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. Just remember it was a French colony, so use a good French pronunciation

Something like 'Nee-zhair' is correct, I think.

[Ghost Dog]

3. There are plenty of reasons why regime change could be good for people of Niger

Guess we'll have to wait and see.

Surrounded by a large group of soldiers, the spokesman for the coup leaders, colonel Goukoye Abdoulkarim, wearing a military uniform, called on the people of Niger to remain calm and stay united around the ideals postulated by the CSRD, to make Niger an example of democracy and good governance.

"We call on national and international opinions to support us in our patriotic action to save Niger and its population from poverty, deception and corruption. The Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy (CSRD)... has decided to suspend the constitution of the Sixth Republic and dissolve all its institutions," colonel Abdoulkarim added.

Mamadou Tandja

President Mamadou Tandja became an autocrat after he pushed through a constitutional amendment scrapping presidential term limits, despite widespread criticism. He won two elections - in 1999 and 2004 - and was due to step down last December after 10 years in power, but insisted to stay on.

When the African Union and the International community challenged Tandja’s ploy to change the constitution for his own interest, he responded by saying he was "serving Niger and its people, not the international community."

Tandja also said he needed more time to complete projects such as the country’s first oil refinery, the construction of a dam on the River Niger and the mining of new uranium sites in the north of the country Under his tenure, work has begun on the world’s second-biggest uranium mine, and energy deals have been signed with Chinese firms.

After dissolving parliament, Tandja forced parliamentary elections in October, which led ECOWAS to suspend Niger’s membership. The European Union suspended development aid and the United States sanctioned the country whose people are ranked last at 182 on the UN Human Development Index for 2009.

/... http://en.afrik.com/article16975.html

[AngryAmish]

4. Yellowcake!