A deal between Niger and the West African bloc Ecowas could be seen in the “coming days”, the country's military-appointed Prime Minister Ali Mahamane Lamine Zeine said on Monday.
The Economic Community of West African States has threatened to use force to restore civilian rule in Niger and imposed hefty sanctions after soldiers overthrew Mohamed Bazoum, the democratically elected president, on July 26.
Mr Zeine also said efforts were being made for French forces to leave Niger after ties spiralled following the military takeover.
“We have not stopped contacts with Ecowas, we are continuing contacts. We have good hopes of reaching an agreement in the coming days,” Mr Zeine told a press conference in Niamey.
“We are bracing to be attacked at any time. Every preparation has been taken. It would be an unjust war. We are determined to defend ourselves if there is an attack.”
Ecowas has warned several times of a military intervention to reinstate Mr Bazoum should diplomatic attempts to resolve the crisis fail.
A key requirement is a timeline for returning to civilian rule.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who is also the current chairman of Ecowas, last Thursday suggested it could take nine months, as happened in his country in the late 1990s.
“The President sees no reason why such cannot be replicated in Niger, if Niger's military authorities are sincere,” the Nigerian presidency said.
Algeria, Niger's influential northern neighbour, has proposed a six-month transition.
The military rulers have so far not responded to the suggestions, having previously spoken of being in power for three years.
Ecowas has taken a hard line on Niger following a series of coups in the region since 2020.
The military have taken power in Mali and Burkina Faso where, like Niger, losses among the armed forces are surging in the face of a long-running insurgency by extremists.
A putsch also took place in Guinea in 2021 after the country's octogenarian president, Alpha Conde, ran for a third term in office, a move that opponents said breached constitutional limits.
Mr Zeine said, without elaborating, that “contacts” were under way “that should enable a very swift withdrawal of French forces” from the country.
But, he said, Niger wished “to maintain co-operation with a country with which we have shared an enormous number of things”.
Tensions between Niger and its former colonial power and ally in the fight against insurgents ratcheted up after France stood by the ousted Mr Bazoum.
Paris has refused to acknowledge the coup leaders as the legitimate government and ignored announcements cancelling military agreements with and a threat to expel its ambassador.
France has around 1,500 troops in the Sahel state, many of them deployed at an airbase near the capital Niamey.
Tens of thousands of protesters rallied outside the base at the weekend to demand they leave, responding to a call by a pro-coup civilian coalition.
Mr Zeine said that as a result of the renunciation of military accords on August 3, the French troops in Niger are now “in a position of illegality”.
One of the accords required a one month notice period, military sources said.
Meanwhile, Niger reopened its air space on Monday after imposing a flight ban on August 6 in response to the Ecowas threat, the official news agency ANP said.
Some flights to Niamey were permitted in that time, with special authorisations.
Air France told AFP that it would resume flights over Nigerien territory from Tuesday morning, although its air services to and from Niamey would remain suspended.
Separately, the Chinese ambassador in Niger said that Beijing hoped to play a “mediating role” in the political crisis, in comments broadcast on Nigerien television.
“The Chinese government intends to play a role of good office, of mediator … to find a political solution to this Nigerien crisis,” said Jiang Feng, Chinese ambassador to Niger. China “always supports African countries to resolve their problems the African way”, he added.
China is a major economic partner for Niger, particularly in the energy sector, including building the longest oil pipeline in Africa.
Pathaan
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MATCH INFO
Borussia Dortmund 0
Bayern Munich 1 (Kimmich 43')
Man of the match: Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)
ICC Awards for 2021
MEN
Cricketer of the Year – Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Test Cricketer of the Year – Joe Root (England)
WOMEN
Cricketer of the Year – Smriti Mandhana (India)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Lizelle Lee (South Africa)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Tammy Beaumont (England)
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The specs: 2019 Infiniti QX50
Price, base: Dh138,000 (estimate)
Engine: 2.0L, turbocharged, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 268hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm @ 4,400rpm
Fuel economy: 6.7L / 100km (estimate)
Company profile
Name: Fruitful Day
Founders: Marie-Christine Luijckx, Lyla Dalal AlRawi, Lindsey Fournie
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2015
Number of employees: 30
Sector: F&B
Funding so far: Dh3 million
Future funding plans: None at present
Future markets: Saudi Arabia, potentially Kuwait and other GCC countries
The five pillars of Islam
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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2.
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Australia
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South Korea
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More coverage from the Future Forum
School counsellors on mental well-being
Schools counsellors in Abu Dhabi have put a number of provisions in place to help support pupils returning to the classroom next week.
Many children will resume in-person lessons for the first time in 10 months and parents previously raised concerns about the long-term effects of distance learning.
Schools leaders and counsellors said extra support will be offered to anyone that needs it. Additionally, heads of years will be on hand to offer advice or coping mechanisms to ease any concerns.
“Anxiety this time round has really spiralled, more so than from the first lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic,” said Priya Mitchell, counsellor at The British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi.
“Some have got used to being at home don’t want to go back, while others are desperate to get back.
“We have seen an increase in depressive symptoms, especially with older pupils, and self-harm is starting younger.
“It is worrying and has taught us how important it is that we prioritise mental well-being.”
Ms Mitchell said she was liaising more with heads of year so they can support and offer advice to pupils if the demand is there.
The school will also carry out mental well-being checks so they can pick up on any behavioural patterns and put interventions in place to help pupils.
At Raha International School, the well-being team has provided parents with assessment surveys to see how they can support students at home to transition back to school.
“They have created a Well-being Resource Bank that parents have access to on information on various domains of mental health for students and families,” a team member said.
“Our pastoral team have been working with students to help ease the transition and reduce anxiety that [pupils] may experience after some have been nearly a year off campus.
"Special secondary tutorial classes have also focused on preparing students for their return; going over new guidelines, expectations and daily schedules.”
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
match info
Manchester United 3 (Martial 7', 44', 74')
Sheffield United 0
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3ECompany%20name%3A%20Shipsy%3Cbr%3EYear%20of%20inception%3A%202015%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Soham%20Chokshi%2C%20Dhruv%20Agrawal%2C%20Harsh%20Kumar%20and%20Himanshu%20Gupta%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20India%2C%20UAE%20and%20Indonesia%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20logistics%3Cbr%3ESize%3A%20more%20than%20350%20employees%3Cbr%3EFunding%20received%20so%20far%3A%20%2431%20million%20in%20series%20A%20and%20B%20rounds%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Info%20Edge%2C%20Sequoia%20Capital%E2%80%99s%20Surge%2C%20A91%20Partners%20and%20Z3%20Partners%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Match info:
Real Betis v Sevilla, 10.45pm (UAE)
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 3 (Silva 8' &15, Foden 33')
Birmginahm City 0
Man of the match Bernado Silva (Manchester City)
Gender equality in the workplace still 200 years away
It will take centuries to achieve gender parity in workplaces around the globe, according to a December report from the World Economic Forum.
The WEF study said there had been some improvements in wage equality in 2018 compared to 2017, when the global gender gap widened for the first time in a decade.
But it warned that these were offset by declining representation of women in politics, coupled with greater inequality in their access to health and education.
At current rates, the global gender gap across a range of areas will not close for another 108 years, while it is expected to take 202 years to close the workplace gap, WEF found.
The Geneva-based organisation's annual report tracked disparities between the sexes in 149 countries across four areas: education, health, economic opportunity and political empowerment.
After years of advances in education, health and political representation, women registered setbacks in all three areas this year, WEF said.
Only in the area of economic opportunity did the gender gap narrow somewhat, although there is not much to celebrate, with the global wage gap narrowing to nearly 51 per cent.
And the number of women in leadership roles has risen to 34 per cent globally, WEF said.
At the same time, the report showed there are now proportionately fewer women than men participating in the workforce, suggesting that automation is having a disproportionate impact on jobs traditionally performed by women.
And women are significantly under-represented in growing areas of employment that require science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills, WEF said.
* Agence France Presse
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
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The specs: 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor
Price, base / as tested Dh220,000 / Dh320,000
Engine 3.5L V6
Transmission 10-speed automatic
Power 421hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 678Nm @ 3,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 14.1L / 100km
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