EU to break ties with Niger

  1. Posted on Wednesday 12 August 2009 - 08:25
    KingsleyKobo
    Image of KingsleyKobo
    Kingsley Kobo, AfricaNews reporter in Abidjan, Ivory Coast
    The European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union (EU) has issued notice that it will suspend all ties with Niger if President Mamadou Tandja, who won last week's controversial referendum, does not return the nation to constitutional norms immediately.
    Niger map
    In a statement in Brussels, Belgium, EU Development Commissioner, Karel De Gucht said: “I regret that the recent holding of a referendum in Niger was outside the country’s constitutional norms. A rapid return by President Tandja to those constitutional norms would mean we don't have to open negotiations between the European Union and Niger, and put our cooperation in danger.”

    The warning is coming after France’s threat to suspend relations with the uranium-rich country if Tandja does not return to democratic path after his victory in a bid to extend his terms of office, AFP reported.

    De Gucht warned that Tandja's action could force the European Union to suspend its cooperation under the Cotonou Agreement. The agreement is a partnership deal between the EU and members of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States aimed at tackling poverty while contributing to sustainable development.

    Tandja, who suspended the constitutional court in June and dissolved the National Assembly, won the August 04 referendum by 92 percent. Turnout was 68 percent according to the electoral commission.

    These figures were widely contested by the Nigerien opposition and the international media.

Latest News

  1. OPINION: Welcome to African Green Revolution24/05For the past century and a half, Africa has tried various agricultural approaches without much success.
  2. Egyptians vote in historic election23/05Egyptians began voting freely on Wednesday for the first time to pick their president in a wide open election that pits Islamists against men who serv…
  3. Africa Day 2012 - a moment for reflection and…22/0525th May is Africa Day. For many years it has been a celebration of African unity. It dates back to 1963 when the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) …
  4. South Africa's African agenda21/05The Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa, Kgalema Mothlanthe paid a rare visit to Ghana in April at the invitation of John Dramani Mahama …
  5. Women struggle to rinse hunger, poverty stains21/05Just looking at her one clearly appreciates that she is old and frail therefore in need of support for food, clothing and shelter to live comfortably …
  6. Climate Climate change affects migratory birds…21/05Changes in the climate globally have affected the movement of both migratory and resident species of birds, Nature Uganda has said.
  7. Ghana: Foreign retailers cited for currency…18/05The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) is attributing the sharp depreciation of the Ghana cedi against major currencies to the illegal activiti…
  8. Kenya: Community radio brings succour to…18/05Korogocho, a slum in northeastern Nairobi with 100,000 inhabitants, had many of the ingredients for a political explosion similar to those that rocked…
  9. Veld fires 'flame' Zimbabwe's…16/05Over the years, Zimbabwe has experienced the scourge of veld fires destroying property worth thousands of dollars.
  10. Liberia commends ECOWAS for support14/05The induction training of pioneer Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Volunteers for Liberia kicked off in Monrovia, with the Deputy Mi…
  11. Vanishing Lake Chad puts 30m lives at risk14/05As you approach the Lake Chad basin from Maiduguri, in north-eastern Nigeria, the evidence of despair is telling.
  12. Heavy rains cause havoc in Kenya14/05Heavy Rainfall continued to wreak havoc across the country leading to the suspension of relief food in some parts of the country as most roads in Turk…
  13. Zimbabwe: Growth points lie dormant14/05The Zimbabwean government mooted the concept of growth points in the 1980s as a means of decongesting cities and towns.
  14. Sierra Leone improves in infant mortality11/05Sierra Leone has improved in infant mortality cases according to Save the Children- World Motherhood index 2012 report. The West Africa country descri…
  15. Zimbabwe: Resettled farmers fail to utilize…10/05Resettled farmers in Zimbabwe are failing to utilize land due to inadequate farming inputs and lack of resources.
News archive