عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

Niger Junta Accuses France of Deploying Troops for Possible Intervention

A national police officer stands guard as supporters of Niger's National Council for Safeguard of the Homeland protest outside the French and Niger airbase in Niamey on September 9, 2023 to demand the departure of the French army from Niger. (Photo by AFP)
A national police officer stands guard as supporters of Niger's National Council for Safeguard of the Homeland protest outside the French and Niger airbase in Niamey on September 9, 2023 to demand the departure of the French army from Niger. (Photo by AFP)
TT
TT

Niger Junta Accuses France of Deploying Troops for Possible Intervention

A national police officer stands guard as supporters of Niger's National Council for Safeguard of the Homeland protest outside the French and Niger airbase in Niamey on September 9, 2023 to demand the departure of the French army from Niger. (Photo by AFP)
A national police officer stands guard as supporters of Niger's National Council for Safeguard of the Homeland protest outside the French and Niger airbase in Niamey on September 9, 2023 to demand the departure of the French army from Niger. (Photo by AFP)

Niger's junta on Sunday accused France of deploying troops in several West African countries as part of preparations for a possible military intervention together with the regional bloc ECOWAS in Niger.

In a communique read on state television overnight, the junta also repeated its call for the departure of French troops from its territory - a major source of tension between the one-time allies since the July 26 ouster of president Mohamed Bazoum.

The statement appealed to "national and international opinion to witness the consequences of this aggressive, underhanded and contemptuous attitude adopted by France."

Relations between Niger and its former colonizer France have soured since Paris declared the junta illegitimate.

Most Viewed

 
 
World

DHL Cargo Plane Crashes into a House in Lithuania, Killing at Least 1

A Lithuanian rescuer walks past the wreckage of a cargo plane following its crash near the Vilnius International Airport in Vilnius on November 25, 2024. (Photo by Petras MALUKAS / AFP)
A Lithuanian rescuer walks past the wreckage of a cargo plane following its crash near the Vilnius International Airport in Vilnius on November 25, 2024. (Photo by Petras MALUKAS / AFP)
TT
TT

DHL Cargo Plane Crashes into a House in Lithuania, Killing at Least 1

A Lithuanian rescuer walks past the wreckage of a cargo plane following its crash near the Vilnius International Airport in Vilnius on November 25, 2024. (Photo by Petras MALUKAS / AFP)
A Lithuanian rescuer walks past the wreckage of a cargo plane following its crash near the Vilnius International Airport in Vilnius on November 25, 2024. (Photo by Petras MALUKAS / AFP)

A DHL cargo plane crashed into a house Monday morning near Lithuania's capital, killing at least one person.
The head of the country's police said the plane crashed shortly before landing at Vilnius airport.
“It fell a few kilometers before the airport, it just skidded for a few hundred meters, its debris somewhat caught a residential house," said Police Commissioner-General Renatas Požėla. "Residential infrastructure around the house was on fire, and the house was slightly damaged, but we managed to evacuate people.”
Lithuanian’s public broadcaster LRT, quoting an emergency official, said two people had been taken to the hospital after the crash, and one was later pronounced dead.
The Lithuanian airport authority identified the aircraft as a DHL cargo plane arriving from Leipzig, Germany. It posted on the social platform X that city services including a fire truck were on site.
Flight-tracking data from FlightRadar24, analyzed by The Associated Press, showed the aircraft made a turn to the north of the airport, lining up for landing, before crashing a little more than 1.5 kilometers (1 mile) short of the runway.
Authorities did not immediately offer a cause for the crash, which happened just before 5:30 a.m local time. Weather at the airport was around freezing temperature, with clouds before sunrise and winds around 30 kph (18 mph).
DHL Group, headquartered in Bonn, Germany, did not immediately return a call for comment.
The DHL aircraft was operated by Swiftair, a Madrid-based contractor. The carrier could not be immediately reached.
The Boeing 737 was 31 years old, which is considered by experts to be an older airframe, though that’s not unusual for cargo flights.