France

China Buys into Niger Junta to Secure Oil Supply

China’s state-owned oil company CNPC, the China National Petroleum Corporation, has signed a $400 million deal with the military junta that controls Niger, providing a much-needed infusion of cash after the coup damaged relations with Niger’s previous big oil customers, the United States and France.

Workers from Niger and China are seen on the construction site of an oil pipeline in the r

Senegal’s Fiery Opposition Leader Ousmane Sonko Appointed Prime Minister

Senegal’s outspoken and combative opposition leader Ousmane Sonko was disqualified from running for president in the March 24 presidential election, but he had the last laugh on Thursday when his former lieutenant Bassirou Diomaye Faye appointed him as prime minister. Faye ran in Sonko’s place and won a resounding victory with over 54 percent of the vote.

Ousmane Sonko attends a press conference in Dakar, Senegal, March 15, 2024. Newly-elected