Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued his first public response Saturday to the military coup in Niger which has resulted in its Mohamed Bazoum being detained by members of his own presidential guard.
Guards defected to hold Bazoum, 63, captive over disagreements of his administration handling a growing insurgence in the country. While the coup instigators claim Bazoum has not been harmed, they have threatened harm should there be foreign interference. All government institutions have subsequently closed.
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“Our economic and security partnership with Niger – which is significant, hundreds of millions of dollars — depends on the continuation of the democratic governance and constitutional order that has been disrupted by the actions in the last few days,” Blinken said at a press conference. “So that assistance, that support, is in clear jeopardy as a result of these actions, which is another reason why they need to be immediately reversed,” he continued.
Blinken went on to say that the State Department has “communicated that as clearly as we possibly can to those responsible for disrupting the constitutional order and Niger’s democracy.” It remains to be seen if this messaging will affect Bazoum’s safe keeping.
The U.S., along with the European Union, maintains that Bazoum is the country’s legitimate ruler. Bazoum has held the position since 2021.
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Last year, Bazoum credited the U.S. for the recent infrastructure development in Niger, such as the construction of roads and the modernization of the agriculture sector, which he listed alongside education as a top priority for his administration. Several European countries, especially France, have provided more direct assistance to his education program. France notably has also committed to acknowledge Bazoum as the only president to Niger.
Niger holds democratic elections for its president, which Bazoum won in a runoff election. He hails from the Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism, which is the same party as the previous president, Mahamadou Issoufou.
