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ECOWAS Lifts Sanctions on Niger

A group photo of the leaders of the ECOWAS countries in Abuja on Saturday. (Reuters)
A group photo of the leaders of the ECOWAS countries in Abuja on Saturday. (Reuters)
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ECOWAS Lifts Sanctions on Niger

A group photo of the leaders of the ECOWAS countries in Abuja on Saturday. (Reuters)
A group photo of the leaders of the ECOWAS countries in Abuja on Saturday. (Reuters)

West Africa's regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, on Saturday said it was lifting some of the sanctions imposed on Niger after last year's military coup.

Niger's president Mohamed Bazoum was ousted in a military coup last July, prompting ECOWAS to impose sanctions.

The lifting of the sanctions followed long hours of deliberations by the regional leaders at an extraordinary summit on the political, peace, and security situation in the sub-region.

Following recent coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Guinea, Nigeria's President Bola Ahmed Tinubu - who is also head of ECOWAS – said: "We must re-examine our current approach to the quest for constitutional order in four of our member states."

Multiple crises

ECOWAS finds itself grappling with multiple crises, including the withdrawal of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso from its membership. Additionally, Senegal is embroiled in a political crisis following President Macky Sall's decision to postpone the presidential elections.

The Alliance of Sahel States (ASS)

The military governments of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso forged the Alliance of Sahel States in September, signaling a departure from their reliance on French military presence and signaling a shift towards closer ties with Russia.

In mid-Feb, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, Niger's military commander, hinted at the potential creation of a shared currency with Burkina Faso and Mali, aimed at breaking away from colonial legacies. The decision by Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali to withdraw from ECOWAS last week has stirred concern among hundreds of thousands of citizens, mainly traders, across the three nations.

The group ensures free movement for citizens across its fifteen member states, allowing them to travel visa-free and reside or work in any of these countries. However, following the military takeover in Niamey in late July 2023, which ousted Bazoum, ECOWAS imposed stringent economic and financial sanctions on Niger.

These measures included the suspension of financial transactions, border closures, and the freezing of state assets.

Lifting Sanctions

Efforts to broker dialogue between the new military leadership in Niamey and West African nations have hit roadblocks since the coup. The military junta in Niamey remains firm on its stance of not releasing Bazoum, who, along with his wife, has been in detention since July 26.

ECOWAS has repeatedly demanded Bazoum's release as a condition for easing sanctions.

However, there was a notable development in early January when the new regime agreed to release Salem Bazoum, the son of the former president, and transfer him to Togo.

The most recent gathering of ECOWAS members convened on February 9, issuing a call for reconciliation with the military administrations in Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso.

The Nigerian President urged West African leaders to consider the "lifting of all sanctions that have been imposed on Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, and Niger." He called on Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger to rethink their decision.

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World

Kremlin Says It Is Still Waiting for US Response to Putin's Nuclear Treaty Offer

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the government via videoconference at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, 21 January 2026. EPA/VYACHESLAV PROKOFYEV/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the government via videoconference at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, 21 January 2026. EPA/VYACHESLAV PROKOFYEV/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN
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Kremlin Says It Is Still Waiting for US Response to Putin's Nuclear Treaty Offer

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the government via videoconference at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, 21 January 2026. EPA/VYACHESLAV PROKOFYEV/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the government via videoconference at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, 21 January 2026. EPA/VYACHESLAV PROKOFYEV/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN

Russia is still waiting for the United States to respond to President Vladimir Putin's proposal to informally extend for a year the provisions of the last remaining nuclear arms pact between the two ‌countries, the Kremlin ‌said on ‌Thursday.

Kremlin ⁠spokesman Dmitry ‌Peskov told reporters that the expiry of the New START treaty on February 5 could lead to a serious gap in ⁠the legal framework regulating nuclear ‌arms, Reuters said.

New START, which ‍was signed ‍by presidents Barack Obama ‍and Dmitry Medvedev in 2010, sets limits on the strategic weapons that each side would use to target the other's critical political and military ⁠centers in the event of a nuclear war.

It caps the number of deployed strategic warheads at 1,550 on each side, with no more than 700 deployed ground- or submarine-launched missiles and bomber ‌planes to deliver them.

World

Iran's Foreign Minister to Visit Türkiye for Talks on Tensions with US

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (AP)
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (AP)
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Iran's Foreign Minister to Visit Türkiye for Talks on Tensions with US

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (AP)
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (AP)

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will visit Türkiye on Friday for talks with his counterpart Hakan Fidan on the recent developments in Iran and tensions with the United States, a Turkish Foreign Ministry source said on Thursday.

US President Donald Trump urged Iran on Wednesday to come to the table and make a deal on nuclear weapons or the next US attack would be far worse. Trump has sent an "armada" to the Middle East ‌and warned ‌Tehran against killing anti-government protesters or ‌restarting ⁠its nuclear ‌program.

Tehran, which brutally cracked down on large protests this month and killed or arrested thousands, responded with a threat to strike back against the United States, Israel and those who support them.

Iranian officials blame the unrest, the biggest since the 1979 revolution, on Iran's foes, ⁠Israel and the United States.

Türkiye, a NATO member that shares ‌a border with Iran, has said ‍it opposes any foreign ‍intervention on its neighbor and urged Washington to ‍resolve its issues with Iran "one by one".

It has reached out to both sides, warning that destabilization in Iran would exceed the region's capacity to manage at this time.

The source said Fidan would tell Araghchi that Türkiye closely followed developments in Iran, and that ⁠Iran's security, peace, and stability were of "great importance" for Ankara.

Fidan will also repeat Türkiye’s opposition to any military attack on Iran and warn that such a move will "create risks on a global scale", the source said, adding that he would offer Türkiye’s support in helping resolve tensions with Washington.

Fidan will "note that Türkiye supports finding a solution on Iran's nuclear program as soon as possible, and that it stands ready to help ‌on this issue if it is needed," the source said.

 

World

Starmer, Xi Signal Reset in China-UK Ties, Eye Economic Wins

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer receives a bouquet of flowers at an airport, as Chinese Finance Minister Lan Foan reacts alongside, in Beijing, China, January 28, 2026. Kin Cheung/Pool via REUTERS
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer receives a bouquet of flowers at an airport, as Chinese Finance Minister Lan Foan reacts alongside, in Beijing, China, January 28, 2026. Kin Cheung/Pool via REUTERS
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Starmer, Xi Signal Reset in China-UK Ties, Eye Economic Wins

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer receives a bouquet of flowers at an airport, as Chinese Finance Minister Lan Foan reacts alongside, in Beijing, China, January 28, 2026. Kin Cheung/Pool via REUTERS
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer receives a bouquet of flowers at an airport, as Chinese Finance Minister Lan Foan reacts alongside, in Beijing, China, January 28, 2026. Kin Cheung/Pool via REUTERS

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday that he wanted to build a "sophisticated relationship" with Beijing to boost the UK economy, signaling a reset after years of strained ties.
On the key day of his four-day visit to China, the first by a British prime minister in eight years, Starmer held an 80-minute summit with Xi at the Great Hall of the People before they lunched together. Starmer said the pair chatted about soccer and Shakespeare, as well as business matters, Reuters reported.
The British leader will also meet Premier Li Qiang.
Starmer, whose center-left Labor Party government has struggled to deliver the growth it promised, has made improving relations with the world's second-largest economy a priority, despite lingering misgivings about espionage and human rights.
"China is a vital player on the global stage, and it's vital that we build a more ‌sophisticated relationship where we ‌can identify opportunities to collaborate, but of course, also allow a meaningful dialogue on ‌areas ⁠where we disagree," ‌Starmer told Xi at the start of their meeting.
Xi said ties with Britain had gone through "twists and turns" that did not serve the interests of either country and that China was ready to develop a long-term partnership.
"We can deliver a result that can withstand the test of history," the Chinese leader told Starmer, flanked by his top ministers.
Starmer is the latest Western leader to engage in a flurry of diplomacy with China, as nations hedge against unpredictability from the United States under President Donald Trump.
Trump's on-off threats of trade tariffs and pledges to grab control of Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, have rankled long-standing allies like Britain.
Starmer's visit immediately follows that ⁠of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who signed an economic deal with Beijing to tear down trade barriers, drawing Trump's ire.
The British leader told reporters he had ‌made progress in discussions with China's leader to reduce tariffs on whisky, while Xi ‍also said China would consider waiving visas for British nationals.
The "relationship ‍is in a good place, a strong place," said Starmer, who is being accompanied by more than 50 business leaders ‍on the trip.
Asked by a reporter if Xi was someone he could do business with, Starmer replied 'yes'.
TACKLING MIGRANT SMUGGLING GANGS
Starmer has adopted a new policy of engagement with China after ties deteriorated for years under previous Conservative governments, when London curbed some Chinese investment over national security worries and expressed concern over a crackdown on political freedoms in Hong Kong.
"I made the promise 18 months ago, when we were elected into government, that I would make Britain face outwards again," Starmer told Xi.
"Because, as we all know, events abroad affect everything that happens back in our home countries, to prices on the supermarket shelves to ⁠how secure we feel."
Kemi Badenoch, the leader of Britain’s opposition Conservative Party, said on Wednesday she would not have gone to China because of the security risks the country poses.
British security services have said China routinely spies on the government. China has denied the claims.
In a sign of how the countries can work together, Starmer also announced that Britain and China would jointly tackle gangs involved in trafficking illegal migrants.
The deal focuses on reducing the use of Chinese-made engines for small boats that transport people across Europe to claim asylum.
British and Chinese officials will share intelligence to identify smugglers’ supply routes and work with Chinese manufacturers to prevent legitimate businesses from being exploited by organized crime, Downing Street said.
Starmer told reporters he also had a "respectful discussion" with Xi about the case of Jimmy Lai, the former Hong Kong media tycoon and British citizen who was convicted in December of national security crimes.
After arriving in the Chinese capital late Wednesday, Starmer dined at a restaurant known for its mushroom-laden dishes that also hosted former US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen ‌during her 2023 visit.
He practiced pronouncing the Chinese word for thank you - 'xie xie' - with restaurant staff as he posed for photographs, a video posted on Weibo showed.