Over 1 million pilgrims benefit from golf cart service at Grand Mosque during Ramadan    Visitors welcomed with Eid initiative at Thee Ain Heritage Village in Al-Baha    Tebuk emir reviews rain response in Tayma    Saudi Arabia considers rent cap as part of major real estate reforms    Messi's bodyguard banned from touchline at Inter Miami games    Screen time in bed linked to insomnia, study finds    Le Pen vows to appeal political ban, calls verdict a 'denial of democracy'    Death toll from Myanmar earthquake rises to 2,719 as rescue efforts continue    Russia, Ukraine trade blame over new energy strikes    Putin orders Russia's largest military call-up in over a decade    Albania hosts MWL chief for Eid sermon at largest mosque in the Balkans    Haramain High-Speed Railway transports over 1.2 million passengers during Ramadan    Saudi Transport Authority says passengers can ride for free if taxi meters are off    Ministry of Education forms 425 community partnerships with SR653 million impact    Mexico bans junk food in schools to fight childhood obesity epidemic    Sweet sales surge ahead of Eid as Saudi chocolate imports top 123 million kg in 2024    Saudi creatives shine at Jeddah's Fawanees Nights with art, fashion, and storytelling    T1 CEO confirms Gumayusi's return for LCK Spring after lineup shakeup    100 Thieves claim Marvel Rivals Invitational NA crown as 2025 scene heats up    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Saudi Arabia hold Japan to goalless draw in Saitama to stay in World Cup hunt    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Wagner taking advantage of instability in Niger, says Blinken
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 08 - 08 - 2023

Russia's Wagner mercenary group is "taking advantage" of instability in Niger, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has told the BBC.
The country has been ruled by a junta following the ousting of President Mohamed Bazoum nearly two weeks ago.
There have been suggestions the coup leaders have asked for help from Wagner, which is known to be present in neighboring Mali.
Blinken said he did not think Russia or Wagner instigated Niger's coup.
However the US was worried about the group "possibly manifesting itself" in parts of the Sahel region, he told the BBC's Focus on Africa program.
"I think what happened, and what continues to happen in Niger was not instigated by Russia or by Wagner, but... they tried to take advantage of it.
"Every single place that this Wagner group has gone, death, destruction and exploitation have followed," said Blinken.
"Insecurity has gone up, not down".
He added that there was a "repeat of what's happened in other countries, where they brought nothing but bad things in their wake".
Wagner is believed to have thousands of fighters in countries including the Central African Republic (CAR) and Mali, where it has lucrative business interests but also bolsters Russia's diplomatic and economic relations.
The group's fighters have been accused of widespread human rights abuses in several African countries.
Despite this, there has been speculation Niger's army has asked Wagner for assistance as the country faces the possibility of military intervention.
Ecowas -- a trading bloc of 15 West African states -- issued a Sunday deadline to Niger's junta leaders to stand down and restore President Bazoum.
This deadline was ignored and Ecowas is due to hold a meeting on Thursday to decide on what to do next.
On Monday, US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland held what she described as "difficult and frank" talks with the coup leaders, whom she said understood the risks of working with the mercenaries.
Bazoum, who is currently in captivity, has also spoken of his concerns about Wagner's influence in Africa.
"With an open invitation from the coup plotters and their regional allies, the entire central Sahel region could fall to Russian influence via the Wagner Group, whose brutal terrorism has been on full display in Ukraine," he wrote in an opinion piece for the Washington Post published last week.
It is currently unclear if Wagner fighters have entered the country but the prominent Wagner-affiliated Telegram channel Grey Zone said on Monday that some 1,500 of its fighters had recently been sent to Africa.
It did not specify where on the continent they had allegedly been deployed.
Wagner's leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin has urged the junta to "give us a call" in a voice message uploaded to Telegram on Tuesday.
"We are always on the side of the good, on the side of justice, and on the side of those who fight for their sovereignty and for the rights of their people," he said.
Niger is a former French colony and the coup has led to a wave of anti-France and pro-Russian sentiment in the country -- similar to that experienced by neighbors Mali and Burkina Faso, which have both pivoted towards Moscow since their own coups.
The two countries, which are Ecowas members, have sent a delegation to Niger's capital, Niamey, to reassure the coup leaders they will come to their defence against the other West African nations and their Western allies if needed.
Meanwhile, the junta has appointed the country's former finance minister, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, as the country's new prime minister following the coup.
Zeine replaces Mahamadou Ouhoumoudou, who was in Europe during the coup. — BBC


Clic here to read the story from its source.