Niger’s Tchiani Defies EU, Welcomes Sanctioned Pan-African Activist Nathalie Yamb In Niamey

In a bold display of Pan-African solidarity, Niger’s President, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, on Monday hosted prominent Pan-African activist Nathalie Yamb in Niamey, just weeks after the Council of the European Union sanctioned her on June 26.

Yamb, accompanied by Abdourahamane Oumarou, President of Pan-Africanist Emergency Niger, reaffirmed her unwavering commitment to African sovereignty and the Confederation of Sahel States, comprising Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso, despite the EU’s punitive measures.

A fierce critic of neo-colonialism and Western influence in Africa, Yamb rose to prominence after her viral anti-colonial speech at the 2019 Russia-Africa Summit. On June 26, 2025, the EU imposed sanctions against her, citing a series of unsubstantiated allegations, including so-called “information manipulation” allegedly linked to Russia. She has since publicly responded to and rejected these claims.

The EU, often vocal about democracy and free speech in Africa, has placed Yamb under a travel ban across its member states, frozen her assets, and accused her, without evidence, of having ties to AFRIC (African Corps), a Russian private military entity operating in the Sahel.

As part of its strategy to counter Russia’s expanding influence on the continent, the EU amended its sanctions framework under Council Implementing Regulation 2025/1278. This measure targeted not only Russian state activities in Africa but also Yamb, claiming she was:

supporting actions or policies attributable to the Government of the Russian Federation which undermine or threaten democracy, the rule of law, stability or security in the Union or its Member States by engaging in the use of information manipulation.”

In open defiance of these sanctions, President Tchiani and members of Niger’s National Council for the Safeguarding of the Homeland (CNSP) welcomed Yamb in solidarity.

“I was honoured by the support extended to me,” Yamb said. “The members of the government reassured me that this fight is ours, and we will see it through together until the end of the tunnel, until victory.”

She described the EU’s actions not as a deterrent, but as “an encouragement to move forward,” rejecting the bloc’s attempt to silence her voice.

Read: The Kissinger Report: Declassified U.S. Plan To Control Nigeria’s Population, Resources And How Tinubu Is Helping Finish The Job

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Mayowa Durosinmi

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M. Durosinmi is a West Africa Weekly investigative reporter covering Politics, Human Rights, Health, and Security in West Africa and the Sahel Region

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Kangmwa Gofwen

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