Niger’s PM concludes visit in Sudan

August 26, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — Niger’s Prime Minister Seyni Oumarou Sunday concluded his two-day visit in Sudan, during which he discussed with Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir on the situation in Niger.

The official SUNA news agency quoted Sudanese Presidential Assistant Nafie Ali Nafie as saying that Oumarou discussed with al- Bashir the current situation in Niger and other issues of common concerns during their meeting.

He also conveyed to the Sudanese president a message from Niger ‘s President Mamadou Tandja on the ways to strengthen the bilateral relations, said the report.

Oumarou’s visit to Sudan came as his country was facing an uprising led by the Tuareg tribe in its remote Saharan north, which has led to the killing of at least 45 soldiers since it broke out in this February.

Last Friday, Niger’s president signed a three-month-long ” security alert” decree, granting the security forces additional powers of arrest and detention while restricting the movement of civilians on main routes between towns in the northern region of Agadez, 950 km to the north of the capital due to the prevailing insecurity.

The region is home to some of the world’s largest reserves of uranium, an important raw material for nuclear industry.

(Xinhua)