A senior U.S. diplomat traveled to the capital of Niger to hold “extremely frank and at times quite difficult” talks with the ruling junta after the country’s military leaders seized power from the democratically-elected president last month.
“Traveled to Niamey to express grave concern at the undemocratic attempts to seize power and urged a return to constitutional order,” Victoria Nuland, undersecretary of state for political affairs, announced on social media Monday evening.
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The United States and its Western allies have been fearful of the junta seizing power in the country as they watch their influence in the Sahel region of Africa diminish. Niger has been an important partner for the U.S. in recent years in its counterterrorism efforts.
France, Niger’s former colonialist ruler, specifically urged its citizens not to travel to the country, citing anti-French sentiment, per the BBC. Other West African countries also appear to be concerned with the coup, as leaders from the region are set to meet on Thursday to discuss the precarious situation.
The U.S. maintains hope that the complete overthrow can be averted and President Mahmoud Bazoum, who has been in detention but reportedly has spoken to U.S. officials by phone, can be reinstated as the country’s leader.
But presidential guard Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani’s announcement that he has seized power places this future in doubt. And casting a shadow over the entire dilemma for the U.S. is the fact that Russia’s paramilitary Wagner Group could plant forces in the country it has long coveted.
Should Bazoum continue to be detained and the coup continues, President Joe Biden has threatened to cut military ties to the country, something Nuland underscored during her visit this week. Her tone while speaking to reporters from Niamey, if not pessimistic, was sobering, as she met neither with Bazoum, who is in detention along with his wife and son, nor Tchiani.
She did, however, speak for two hours to other military leaders, such as chief of staff Brig. Gen. Moussa Barmou, where she said she offered, on behalf of the U.S., help “if there is a desire on the part of the people who are responsible for this to return to the constitutional order.”
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“I would not say that we were in any way taken up on that offer,” Nuland stated. Barmou is a U.S.-trained officer, Politico reported.
Reports have stated that the driving factor in the coup against Bazoum was that he was about to replace Tchiani as chief of the Nigerien presidential guard.
