The ruling junta in Niger has ended [11] a military partnership with the EU, pulling the plug on a mission that provided training and equipment for Nigerien security forces battling jihadists. Authorities have also repealed a 2015 law—adopted under EU pressure—that sought to curb migration to Europe. The diplomatic rupture is linked to the EU's refusal to engage with the junta, which toppled [16] the bloc's close partner, Mohamed Bazoum, in July. Russian officials have visited Niamey in recent days, signing documents [12] to strengthen military cooperation. Russian support for other Sahelian armies has led to massive rights abuses [13], yet the EU's track record is hardly glowing. The bloc spent large sums on the Nigerien security forces but lacked programs to prevent army abuses—an oversight [14] that played into the hands of jihadists. Its migration policies, meanwhile, resulted in Niamey criminalizing [17] the economy of the northern smuggling hub of Agadez, all while endangering migrant lives [18].
From The New Humanitarian [19], Dec. 8
