Russia–Sahel diplomacy: Russian FM Sergey Lavrov arrived in Niamey for his first visit to Niger, holding talks with President Abdourahamane Tchiani and meeting Sahel foreign ministers, with counterterrorism and security cooperation at the center; Lavrov also relayed Putin’s invitation for Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger to attend the October Russia–Africa summit in Moscow. Regional security funding: Niger’s neighbors in Nigeria’s north launched a Northern Nigeria Security Trust Fund, appointing ex-CDS Martin Luther Agwai and ex-defence minister Mahmud Yayale Ahmed as co-chairmen, with a pledge of ₦1 billion monthly to tackle insecurity. Niger security incident: An IED blast during a routine patrol in Niger State’s Borgu area reportedly killed a captain and two soldiers, with two others injured. Governance & justice: A Nigerian court reserved judgment in a PDP leadership dispute, while a separate appeal over party deregistration was adjourned to July 14. Trade & enforcement: Ghana’s tax authority said it cracked down on customs fraud tied to transit cargo meant for Niger, confiscating and reallocating goods to its school feeding programme, and warned officers of sanctions for violations.