Aug. 28 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Nigerien military junta has announced the creation of a national file containing the names of persons or entities involved in “terrorist acts” as part of its operations to combat jihadist groups active in Niger and other Sahel countries, particularly branches of Al Qaeda and the Islamic State.
The order was signed by the president of the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Homeland (CNSP) –the official name of the junta–, Abdourahmane Tchiani, and provides for the entry into this archive of any person or entity involved in “terrorist acts” or “any infringement that threatens the strategic and fundamental interests of the nation or that may seriously disturb public tranquility and security.”
The authorities argue that it is an “administrative procedure” that seeks to “strengthen the mechanisms for combating terrorist acts and violations that threaten the strategic or fundamental interests of the nation,” according to the Nigerien state news agency, ANP.
“Acts that may lead to entry into the file include, among others, the commission, planning, support or facilitation of terrorist acts; membership in a terrorist entity; threat to the stability of the nation; bearing arms against the State; and sharing intelligence information with a foreign power to undertake hostilities against the State,” he specified.
In this regard, Tchiani stressed that “the registration of a person, a group of people or an entity in this file takes place after the opening of an investigation or a judicial procedure, after a judicial conviction or at the request of the security services.”
Furthermore, inclusion in this file will result in “the freezing of financial assets” of the person or entity affected, as well as “a ban on movement within the country and on travelling abroad”, in addition to a “restriction on commercial transactions”. In addition, this person could even lose his nationality.
The western part of the country, located on the borders with Mali and Burkina Faso, has suffered in recent years from an increase in attacks by branches of Al Qaeda and the Islamic State. The country also faces the threat of Boko Haram and its offshoot, the Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA) in the Lake Chad basin.
Add Comment