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By, Uwe Paschen.
Niger has admitted that the army killed seven Tuareg civilians at the weekend.
The Government finally does admit killing civilians, yet it does play down the numbers greatly and denies Genocide as some NGO report and as the Republicain du Niger is reporting as well! Woman and even children have been tortured and killed, in order to subdue the Tuaregs in Niger! Niger just signed a major deal for power plants with China as well, in exchange for Uranium and Oil, since Niger just discovered large Oil reserves in the Tuareg territory. More Civilian Tuareg will have to pay for that discovery! The Tuareg wish their was no Oil nor any Uranium in the land they have been calling home for over 2000 years now! Yet the Niger Government calls them rebels and there for justifies the use of excessive force and torture even rape has been reported by the MNJ to have occurred on several occasions in Timia and Agades! When will the World finally wake up would be my question! The Civilians that where caught in the cross fire where used as hostages by the FAN (Niger's Armed Forces) as it was loosing a battle with the MNJ (Niger's movement for Justice)! 4 of the MNJ surrendered as the Civilian where taken in exchange for the release of the Civilian, maily Woman and Children. One of the MNJ that surendered was the second in command, the Captain Asharif and 3 of his associates! As the Hostages where released in exchange the FAN opened fire on the Tuaregs Killing two MNJ soldiers and 9 hostages! The MNJ regrouped after this incident and took the town of Iferouan back as well as 27 FAN soldiers as prisoner to be exchanged for the 4 MNJ Soldiers! This war is getting out of control and the Niger Government has been using American, croatian and Serbian Mercenaries to fight the Tuareg uprising of the MNJ in the north of Niger, since the FAN soldiers do no longer seem to be willing to fight the Tuareg and seem to favour a different approach! The Mercenaries have no rules to obey by nor do they care much for the Geneva convention, further they do not understand the land nor the people or the issue at hand and I suppose would not want to either!
BBC Article below!
Niger's defence minister said the civilians were caught in a fire-fight between the army and rebels of the Niger Movement for Justice.
A statement on state radio said the incident occurred on Sunday in the region of Tiguidit, some 80km from the regional capital Agadez.
The government said it was "an accident", but the MNJ says the civilians were deliberately executed.
The Reuters news agency says two of those killed were well-known Tuareg traders, named as Sidi Amar and Ousmane Sidi.
The Defence Ministry statement said the civilians were in four vehicles which got caught in the middle of the skirmish.
It said one MNJ fighter was also killed, and one army soldier injured.
The ethnic Tuareg of Niger say they are marginalised |
The MNJ website accused the army of having "very coldly assassinated" the seven people and denied any skirmish with the army in the area over the weekend.
The MNJ has killed at least 49 soldiers over the past 10 months as part of its campaign for greater autonomy for the Tuareg minority in Niger's uranium-rich north.
State radio also announced that two people were killed in landmine explosions near the economic capital, Maradi, in the past two days in what it said was a new "urban campaign" by the rebels.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (16)
at 22:50 on July 11th, 2008
I can not upload the link here!! Nor Edit!
at 01:00 on July 12th, 2008
Paschen, I like this story. It's good stuff. This is a great story Paschen, I hope you can get it edited!
at 02:59 on July 12th, 2008
Thank you for the input and Flag here, I do Appreciate it! I finally did get it Edited, thanks!
- reply
niger (not verified)at 03:46 on July 12th, 2008
Hello this article does not look recent BBC to get the latest Nigerien rebellion news on http://www.niger1.com
at 04:03 on July 12th, 2008
It is very difficult to get any news out of Niger this days and why I wrote of the last event posted and followed up on by BBC article!
I do get most of my stuff from relatives and Journalist Friend in that area when ever there is a chance of communication in spite of Government restriction!
Read "Le Republicain du Niger" in http://www.nowpublic.com/world/discrimination-turning-genocide-niger
Or the following as well! http://www.nowpublic.com/world/niger-mnj-shot-down-government-new-assault-helicopter
and.: http://www.nowpublic.com/world/mnj-niger-has-suffered-losses-yet-took-control-arlit-and-uranium-mine
As well as: http://www.nowpublic.com/world/end-tuaregs-niger-chad-mali-and-cameroon-algeria-and-libya
Maybe now you get the Picture! and by the way what are you afraid of by being not Identified?
at 07:05 on July 12th, 2008
Paschen, I like this story. It's good stuff.I guess the difference between genocide versus murder is a numbers game.
at 10:23 on July 28th, 2008
Numbers and politics.
at 07:19 on July 12th, 2008
Like I said Murder is murder, but the UN dictates unfairly what is genocide. The UN established in the mid 1940's pretty much invented that term Genocide. Did you know the 9/11 terrorist bombing of the world trade center was never considered or mentioned as genocide? That is because if you from a Western Society, you do not count as genocide victims regardless of the number of Western dead in the world. Certainly hypocritical isn't it? Western Culture, it's peoples and religion don't seem to count for much. Especially since many dead in the world trade centre were multinational, but because they were killed in a Western Nation, Genocide didn't seem to fit the bill. Like the Race Card, Genocide is easily passed around non western nations, particularly African and Middle Eastern Regions. Before that is was Bosnian Muslims, before that Chinese culture, such as Buddhists.
The Air India Bombing in 1986 by Sikh militants who killed 329 Indian men, women, children, blowing them out of the sky into the IRish sea off the coast of Ireland was genocide in my opinion, but apparently not to the rest of the world. I am currently doing an opinion piece on this which I am now posting on Now Public.
But then Genocide is a Lefty PC term from the 1940's. As for me, killing someone, anyone, is genocide, as you deprived that deceased person of passing on their genes and culture, genes which may had evolved one day into a person who could have discovered a cure for cancer, or heavens even World Peace. As for the United Nations, in my opinion, since the Rwanda slaughter of 800,00 people under their watch, I think the United Nations, is the most incompetent genocidal organization on the face of this earth. A Third World Run UN Organization in which most from Third World countries couldn't get a job so high paying and lucrative with all the perks living in the USA, living in their own craphole of a country, paying lip service to their people who starve and die as these corrupt tards, hum and haw and debate and do nothing anyway, just useless rhetoric. Meanwhile we will pay billions in aid, in which little will ever get to their people, this has not changed since it's inception in 1945, it is a friggin Moneypit, we'll be paying forever. If you or I were in a job for 50 years, and still did not resolve squat like these people do, we would have been fired decades ago.
One thing you should also know, many of these countries wanted independence from foreign control, such as South Africa for instance, well they like virtually every other third world country got their independence and went straight into the shithole economically, where as before independence, foreign infrastructure was better before their independence. Thus why we continually pump aid to help them evolve as a nation, which aint happening, cause most had 50 years to get with the program, but the aid was soooooooooooo lucrative, they decided to sit back like lazy teenagers and suck the world dry. That my friend is how these third world countries perceive their independence. Independence from responsibility, independence from accepting advice from anyone, as they love the status quo, The people who do not like their rulers, look to the west to fight their battles, cause let's face it, we'll die for them to give them their freedom, but rarely will they do anything to help us win their freedoms. If we do not get them their freedom fast enough, then they bitch we are not good enough. I have no answers on how to resolve this, but ask any peacekeeper who has served in these countries and listen to what they say, maybe my experience is different from theirs, but I doubt it.
The UN could be better run by trained chimps who could do a better job and they work for bananas. I would disband and fire the whole lot of them pronto. George Bush is friggin Mother Theresa compared the UN.
at 20:22 on July 12th, 2008
Thank you for the flag here and you're really great comment. Yes, the term Genocide may need to be revised and redefined as well! I see the five veto powers though as one of the mane problem in the UN, hindering reforms as well as intervention and wen intervention is granted they usually limit the power of the UN to a point that the intervention is rather useless! The USA, Russia, France, GB, and China will veto any thing that is not in their business interest, the US is the one that has used its veto power the most of the five and now in Zimbabwe China and Russia have used their veto to stop any form of intervention or sanction against Mugabe! China has great business interest in Zimbabwe and Russia is siding with China for reasons that are yet unclear! The UN may need to be dissolved and recreated without the veto right for any one, since none of the five veto powers would want to give up their veto right of their free will we may have to force them! Every reform aptemed to make the UN more effective and more democratic has been Vetoed so far!
at 22:14 on July 12th, 2008
Paschen, "Cease fire ends Today in Niger Delta - 7.13.2008"...
We have not seen the last of anything in this part of Niger or Niger at all.
"Indeed, demand doesn't seem to be driving anything. The Energy Information Administration projected that U.S. petroleum consumption will shrink by 400,000 barrels a day in 2008, up nearly 40% from the June estimate.
Michael Fitzpatrick, an analyst at MF Global, added that "with the weekend looming no one wants much of an exposure, particularly with potential MEND activity tomorrow." Nigerian militants who head the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), have said they will end their two-week cease-fire today"... via: ibtimes.com (under Energy)
I was only looking for the economic condition & ran across this (above). "One of the poorest countries in the world, ranking last on the United Nations Human Development Index, Niger's economy is based largely on subsistence crops, livestock, and some of the world's largest uranium deposits. Traditional subsistence farming, herding, small trading, seasonal migration, and informal markets dominate an economy that generates few formal sector jobs." via: traveldocs.com
"Over 80 percent of the population engages in subsistence farming and herding, most economic activity is informal, infrastructure is poor, and drought leads to food shortages. Mineral resources, including uranium and gold, are substantial, and exploration for oil is underway. Niger has strong economic ties to Nigeria, a conduit to international markets." via: heritage.org
Thank you for bring this story to light for the world to know of, why does those in power of any country (especial 3rd world) feel that they can encase those of minority, opposition parties or of war in general who feel and see the need to hide conflict and all out war without recognize that this is a form of genocide and bares not any vote of silence or the non notice by any country, who is aware of these humans being marked for death.
Who is to say the same falls in silence for those who ignore such acts also, with full knowledge comes a whisper to scare their empty souls with more then the abyss they known so well. May they hear the screams, torment and feel the anguish and pain, while watching like its all right in front of their eyes and may thy awaken to make a voice where no more silence remains to give many voices for those to stop and take notice for the world knows now - SILENCE IS IGNORANCE AND IGNORANCE WILL NOT STOP GENOCIDE, SO SCREAM AND BE HEARD "STOP GENOCIDE" BRING FORTH HUMANITIES VOICE UNITED AS ONE FOR PEACE WITHIN HUMANITY, STOP THE IGNORANCE .
at 22:23 on July 12th, 2008
Great Comment in deed, Thank you very much for your input here! And thank you for the Flag, I do appreciate it very much in deed on this topic!
I just put up the next piece in relation to this:
http://www.nowpublic.com/world/next-energy-crisis-may-cripple-western-nations-and-it-has-all-ready-started
I hope you have time to read it as well! The War in Niger is just starting and will get a lot worth, now that the USA is pulling out of Iraq it may go into Niger next and mess it up even more. I doubt that any Tuaregs will survive this century! Our greed and hunger for Energy such as Oil and Uranium is just to great to leave room for Justice and Human Rights!
at 01:45 on July 13th, 2008
Your point on "I doubt that any Tuaregs will survive this century! Our greed and hunger for Energy such as Oil and Uranium is just to great to leave room for Justice and Human Rights!" Is sad and most likely the reality we may have to face soon. I hope The War in Niger some how does not happen, sadly and most likely it will happen though. I hope the Tuaregs have some good moles to allow themselves a better chance at survival.
at 04:37 on July 13th, 2008
Read my follow up and you will see how right you are in deed!
at 07:32 on July 28th, 2008
Paschen,
I like this story. It's good stuff.
Good Job.
at 07:43 on July 28th, 2008
Paschen, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 17:30 on July 28th, 2008
JN Desinz and jwbanks, thank you for the Flags here and reading this, I appreciate it!