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Council of European Union’s Africa Working Group Begins 4-day Visit to Nigeria
Council of European Union’s Africa Working Group Begins 4-day Visit to Nigeria
By: Michael Mike
Members of the Council of European Union’s Africa Working Party (COAFR) have arrived in Abuja to begin a four-day working visit to the country.
During the visit taking place from 26-29 February 2024, the COAFR members will engage with Nigerian authorities, government agencies, civil society groups, regional and international organisations and private sector actors in Abuja and in Lagos.
According to a statement on Sunday by the European Union in Nigeria, the Africa Working Party (COAFR) is mandated with the supervision and management of EU external policy towards the 46 countries of the sub-Saharan Africa, the African Union and other sub-regional organisations, including ECOWAS.
The Africa Working Party (COAFR) is composed of representatives of all 27 EU Member States, chaired by a permanent member of the European External Action Service (EEAS), and assisted by representatives of the Commission and the General Secretariat of the Council. It works under the auspices of the European Union’s Foreign Affairs Council (FAC), itself composed of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Defense and/or development of the 27 Member States of the European Union.
The statement said in Abuja, the visiting COAFR members will meet with key Federal Government ministries and agencies starting from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, among others.
They will also have an interactive session with the ECOWAS Commission on regional developments and integration processes.
In Lagos, the COAFR is expected to meet with the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Consuls General of EU Member States, and the leadership of the European Business Chamber (EuroCham) Nigeria.
They will also visit several EU-funded projects in the state featuring digital and innovation, critical infrastructure and connectivity and migration. Deliberations during the meetings will centre on further boosting EU-Nigeria partnership.
The Africa Working Party’s (COAFR) visits to African countries aim at promoting direct contact, mutual information exchange and feedback between the political and foreign policy organs of the European Union and their African counterparts. They play an important role on taking stock of state and non-state actors views, perspectives, aspirations and expectations regarding their partnership with the European Union, its closest neighbour and its sister continent.
The team will commence a similar visit to the neighbouring Republic of Benin at the end of its current mission in Nigeria.
According to the statement, this is the group’s first-ever working visit to Nigeria, noting that in addition to the representatives of 17 EU Member States also officials from EU institutions, are expected to be in the team.
The statement further revealed that this year’s working visit will be the eleventh visit of the COAFR to the African continent, and the third visit to West Africa – following earlier visits to Senegal and Burkina Faso (2015) and Ivory Coast and Ghana (2019).
It said more than ever before, several top EU officials have visited Nigeria in recent years and months, underlining the importance the EU accords its partnership with the country.
Last October, the EU’s Commissioner for International Partnership, Ms. Jutta Urpilainen, her counterpart for Energy, Ms. Kadri Simson, led other top officials to participate in the EU-Nigeria Strategic Dialogue Meeting held Abuja. The Deputy Secretary General of the European External Action Service (EEAS), Ms Helena Konig, and the Managing Director, Africa at the EEAS, Ms. Rita Laranjinha, were also in the country shortly before then, following the visits in 2022 of European Commission’s Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager in February 2022, EU and Member States Maritime Security Coordinators in April 2022 and senior officials of the European Commission in charge of Energy and Home Affairs.
is mandated with the supervision and management of EU external policy towards the 46 countries of the sub-Saharan Africa, the African Union and other sub-regional organisations, including ECOWAS.
The Africa Working Party (COAFR) is composed of representatives of all 27 EU Member States, chaired by a permanent member of the European External Action Service (EEAS), and assisted by representatives of the Commission and the General Secretariat of the Council. It works under the auspices of the European Union’s Foreign Affairs Council (FAC), itself composed of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Defense and/or development of the 27 Member States of the European Union.
In Abuja, the visiting COAFR members will meet with key Federal Government ministries and agencies starting from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, among others. They will also have an interactive session with the ECOWAS Commission on regional developments and integration processes.
In Lagos, the COAFR is expected to meet with the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Consuls General of EU Member States, and the leadership of the European Business Chamber (EuroCham) Nigeria.
They will also visit several EU-funded projects in the state featuring digital and innovation, critical infrastructure and connectivity and migration. Deliberations during the meetings will centre on further boosting EU-Nigeria partnership.
The Africa Working Party’s (COAFR) visits to African countries aim at promoting direct contact, mutual information exchange and feedback between the political and foreign policy organs of the European Union and their African counterparts. They play an important role on taking stock of state and non-state actors views, perspectives, aspirations and expectations regarding their partnership with the European Union, its closest neighbour and its sister continent. The team will commence a similar visit to the neighbouring Republic of Benin at the end of its current mission in Nigeria.
This is the group’s first-ever working visit to Nigeria. In addition to the representatives of 17 EU Member States also officials from EU institutions, are expected to be in the team. This year’s working visit will be the eleventh visit of the COAFR to the African continent, and the third visit to West Africa – following earlier visits to Senegal and Burkina Faso (2015) and Ivory Coast and Ghana (2019).
More than ever before, several top EU officials have visited Nigeria in recent years and months, underlining the importance the EU accords its partnership with the country. Last October, the EU’s Commissioner for International Partnership, Ms. Jutta Urpilainen, her counterpart for Energy, Ms. Kadri Simson, led other top officials to participate in the EU-Nigeria Strategic Dialogue Meeting held Abuja. The Deputy Secretary General of the European External Action Service (EEAS), Ms Helena Konig, and the Managing Director, Africa at the EEAS, Ms. Rita Laranjinha, were also in the country shortly before then, following the visits in 2022 of European Commission’s Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager in February 2022, EU and Member States Maritime Security Coordinators in April 2022 and senior officials of the European Commission in charge of Energy and Home Affairs.
Council of European Union’s Africa Working Group Begins 4-day Visit to Nigeria
News
Nigerien student killed fighting in Ukraine; concerns rise over African recruitment into Russia’s war
Nigerien student killed fighting in Ukraine; concerns rise over African recruitment into Russia’s war
By: Zagazola Makama
A Nigerien student has reportedly died on the frontlines of the Russia–Ukraine war amid allegations that African nationals are being recruited into the Russian military, raising fresh concerns about the exploitation of foreign fighters in the conflict.
The student traveled to Russia to study but was recruited into the army to fight Ukraine.
Zagazola report that the death draw attention to a growing pattern of recruitment that has drawn young Africans into forceful military services in Russia, often under unclear circumstances.
A report published on Feb. 11 by All Eyes on Wagner/INPACT estimated that nearly 1,500 Africans from 35 countries were recruited into Russian forces between 2023 and 2025.
Experts familiar with the recruitment networks said many of those recruited were individuals who had travelled to Russia to study, work or regularise their immigration status before being drawn into military service.
According to the report, promises of employment, opaque contracts and, in some cases, outright deception were used to attract recruits before they were deployed to the frontlines in Ukraine.
The Niger student, whose identity has been withheld pending family notification, was killed while serving with Russian forces, sources said. His death has drawn attention to the wider issue of foreign nationals fighting and dying in a conflict far from their home countries.
Analysts said the phenomenon reveals a strategy in which foreign fighters, including Africans, are used to supplement Russia’s war effort, particularly as the conflict enters its fourth year.
Observers described the recruitment mechanism as exploitative, arguing that it appears to treat recruits as “replaceable” and “disposable” in a high-casualty environment.
Officials and civil society groups in several African countries have previously raised concerns about the recruitment of their citizens into foreign conflicts, urging greater protections and oversight.
The death has reignited calls for governments to investigate the circumstances under which African nationals are recruited into foreign armed forces and to provide support to affected families.
The Nigerien government is yet to issue an official statement on the matter, while efforts to verify the details of the student’s death and his connection to recruitment networks continue.
Nigerien student killed fighting in Ukraine; concerns rise over African recruitment into Russia’s war
ISWAP admits losing 23 fighters in clash with troops in Sambisa Forest
By: Zagazola Makama
An intercepted communication involving members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) has reportedly confirmed the loss of 23 of their fighters during a recent encounter with Nigerian Special Forces troops in the Sambisa Forest, Borno State.
According to intelligence sources, the ISWAP associate informed an unidentified contact that Nigerian forces had conducted sustained operations in Sambisa Forest for a week, during which they burned down the village of Allafawa and destroyed properties belonging to the insurgents.
Some ISWAP members, the source added, were still present in the forest, while the troops in the theatre of operations have continued aggressive patrols and intelligence-driven assaults to exploit the gains, targeting fleeing elements and dismantling remaining strongholds within the forest.
Security officials emphasised that maintaining the operational tempo is critical to further weaken the terrorist and prevent them from regrouping.
ISWAP admits losing 23 fighters in clash with troops in Sambisa Forest
Maiduguri residents urged to remain calm as fake terror threats circulate during Ramadan
By: Zagazola Makama
Residents of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, have been urged to remain calm and vigilant following the circulation of false audio messages and online posts claiming imminent attacks by Boko Haram and ISWAP during the last ten days of Ramadan.
According to checks, including field verification by community journalists, the purported threats alleging infiltration of suicide bombers into the city and attempts to plant explosives at worship centres.
The most recent threat was publicized Yesterday at Massalacin Mallam Bako in Layin Hadiza, are entirely fabricated.
Security sources explained that such rumours often emerge during the fasting period to instil fear, disrupt prayers, and create panic among worshippers. “These are deliberate attempts by mischief-makers to exploit the spiritual atmosphere of Ramadan,” said a senior security official who requested anonymity.
Community leaders and vigilante groups, including the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), have intensified patrols across Maiduguri to ensure the safety of residents and worshippers. Residents are being encouraged to continue attending prayers and to report any suspicious activity to security agencies promptly.
Local journalists conducting verification in affected areas confirmed that no explosives or suspicious individuals were found, dismissing claims circulating on social media and messaging platforms as false.
The government are therefore called to take stronger action against those spreading fake news, warning that misinformation can destabilise the fragile peace in the city. “In times of heightened religious activity, misinformation is as dangerous as a physical attack. It is important to clamp down on these instigators,” said one analyst.
As the final ten days of Ramadan approach, authorities have assured residents that security remains tight and that all necessary measures are in place to safeguard lives and properties while encouraging calm and rational public conduct.
Maiduguri residents urged to remain calm as fake terror threats circulate during Ramadan
Police arrest robbery suspects, recover firearms in Plateau
Nigerien student killed fighting in Ukraine; concerns rise over African recruitment into Russia’s war
ISWAP admits losing 23 fighters in clash with troops in Sambisa Forest
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