Date set for ‘coup’ trial

The trial of soldiers accused of involvement in a purported bid to overthrow Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou in December 2015 will get under way on 23 January. A report on the News24 site notes that those implicated in the alleged coup include former chief of staff General Souleymane Salou and Colonel Idi Abdou Dan Haoua who was in charge of an air base near the capital Niamey. The allegations date to 17 December, 2015, when Issoufou, who at the time was campaigning for a second term in office, said a coup had been thwarted – an allegation contested by the opposition which demanded proof.