Tag: Niger

Boko Haram’s attacks spread into Niger sparking mass exodus

February 13, 2015 Niger Boko Haram, Charlie Hebdo, Diffa, Islamic extremism, Lake Chad, Niamey, Niger, Nigeria, UN, Zinder

Nigeria’s neighbour to its north, French-speaking Niger, is the latest country to pledge its army will fight the radical Islamic group, Boko Haram. Boko Haram’s military and strategic advance has already provoked the postponement of Nigeria’s Presidential election, due to have been held this Saturday, 14 February. The election is . . . Read More

70+ churches destroyed as ‘anti-Charlie’ protests spread in Niger

January 20, 2015 Niger Agadez, Charlie Hebdo, Churches, Islamic extremism, Mahamadou Issoufou, Maradi, Niamey, Niger, Zinder

The Christian community in Niger says it is in shock in the wake of weekend violence that has claimed the lives of ten people and led to the destruction of dozens of places of worship and Christian homes. The protest, which started in the country’s second city, Zinder, on Friday . . . Read More

Churches burned down over anti-Charlie Hebdo demonstration in Niger

January 15, 2015 Niger Boko Haram, Charlie Hebdo, Mahamadou Issoufou, Maradi, MUJAO, Niger, West Africa, Zinder

A 2013 church service in Niger.Courtesy Open Doors International At least five churches in southeastern Niger were ransacked and burned down Friday by hundreds of Islamist demonstrators angered by a cartoon published by the French magazine Charlie Hebdo. According to local sources contacted by World Watch Monitor, hundreds of . . . Read More

Paris attacks parallel fears over growing jihadist threat in Africa

January 14, 2015 Africa, Boko Haram, Charlie Hebdo, Chibok girls, Diffa, France, Islamic extremism, Mahamadou Issoufou, Mali, Mauritania, Muammar Gaddafi, NATO, Niger, Nigeria, Paris, Sub-Saharan Africa

Several African leaders, concerned by the rise of Islamism in the continent, attended the Paris anti-terror march, on Sunday, January 11th. Among the 50 foreign leaders who marched there, African heads of state included those from Mali, Niger, Senegal, Benin, Togo, and Gabon. They all expressed their sympathy to France . . . Read More

Renewed fighting in Mali revives Christian anxieties

May 30, 2014 Mali African Union, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, Bamako, Burkina Faso, Gao, Kidal, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Timbuktu, Tuareg

A Malian child waits to see receive a free consultation at a medical clinic in Gao, Mali.16 May 2014UN Photo/Marco Dormino Renewed fighting and re-occupation of a number of towns in northern Mali by armed Tuareg groups has renewed anxieties among the region’s Christian minority. On May 21, a . . . Read More

Nigeria ‘at war’ with Boko Haram

March 6, 2014 Nigeria Adamawa, Boko Haram, Borno, Cameroon, Chad, Goodluck Jonathan, Kaduna, Niger, Sultan of Sokoto, Yobe, Zaria

Goodluck Jonathan pictured at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Switzerland in January.Jolanda Flubacher, WEC / Flickr / Creative Commons The Nigerian President’s spokesman has said that the conflict with Boko Haram is a “war situation”. Speaking to Lagos-based Channels TV on Feb. 28, Doyin Okupe . . . Read More

Christian deaths double in 2014 World Watch List

January 8, 2014 Global News -- No Particular Country Africa, Angola, Central African Republic, Churches, Egypt, India, Kidnapping, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Rape, Religious freedom, Syria

Nearly twice as many Christians died for their faith in the past year than in 2012, according to Open Doors International’s 2014 World Watch List. Open Doors International, a charity that supports Christians under pressure for their faith, said 2,123 Christians were reported to have been killed during the 12 . . . Read More

Boko Haram blamed for prison break

June 6, 2013 Niger Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, Boko Haram, Niamey, Niger

Niger’s Minister of Justice has blamed Boko Haram for a prison raid in capital city Niamey on June 1. Twenty-two prisoners escaped, including a member of jihadist group Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. (Fides)

For a church leader in Mali, relief and anxiety

February 12, 2013 Mali Burkina Faso, Islamic extremism, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Timbuktu, Tuareg

The liberation of the main cities of Northern Mali has created a great sense of relief and joy in the country, but the task of reconstruction and reconciliation is huge. A month after the French offensive, the Malian and African troops have regained control of the main cities in the . . . Read More

Hope in Mali rises with international military intervention

January 15, 2013 Mali Bamako, Burkina Faso, France, Gao, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Sharia, Timbuktu, Tuareg, West Africa

French troops have launched a military operation in Mali, aiming at stopping the advance of Islamists from their bases in the north to the South. The French intervention started on Friday, Jan. 11 with air strikes, and had enabled the Malian troops to regain control of the cental town of . . . Read More

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