The United States has offered Niger’s ousted leader Mohamed Bazoum Washington’s steadfast support, and warned those detaining him that ‘hundreds of millions of dollars of assistance’ was at risk.
General Abdourahamane Tchiani, head of the Presidential Guard since 2011, has declared himself the new leader of Niger after a coup earlier this week in which the pro-Western Bazoum was detained.
US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, who was wrapping up a multi-nation Pacific tour, called Bazoum for the second time in as many days to offer America’s ‘unflagging support,’ department spokesman Matt Miller said in a statement on Friday July 28.
The US secretary of state also ‘praised Bazoum’s role in promoting security not only in Niger but the wider West Africa region,’ and said Washington would keep working to ‘ensure the full restoration of constitutional order and democratic rule in Niger.’
In a call to former Nigerien leader Mahamadou Issoufou, Blinken expressed concern over Bazoum’s ongoing detention, and that ‘negotiations to ensure constitutional order in Niger were at an impasse.’
He told Issoufou that he ‘regretted that those detaining Bazoum were threatening years of successful cooperation and hundreds of millions of dollars of assistance’ to Niamey, and asked Issoufou to keep working on Bazoum’s behalf, Miller said.
Washington had already warned it could cease security and other cooperation with Niger, where about 1,000 US troops are stationed — for now.
