SYDNEY: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for the immediate release of ousted Niger President Mohamed Bazoum and the restoration of democratic order in the country.
Leaders of a coup in Niger declared General Abdourahamane Tiani as head of state on Friday, saying they had ousted Bazoum in the seventh military takeover in West and Central Africa in less than three years.
Bazoum has not made a statement since Thursday morning when he vowed to protect “hard-won” democratic gains in a post on social media. Before the uprising, Niger was seen as the West’s most stable ally in an unstable region.
Blinken told journalists in Brisbane, Australia he had spoken to Bazoum by telephone, without providing further details. The US is calling for his immediate release and restoration of democratic order, Blinken added.
Blinken said a US economic and security partnership with Niger, worth hundreds of millions of dollars, depends on the continuation of the democratic governance and constitutional order, which has been disrupted in the last few days.
“So that assistance is in clear jeopardy as a result of these actions, which is another reason why they need to be immediately reversed,” said Blinken.
The European Union and France have cut off financial support to Niger and the United States has threatened to do the same, after military leaders this week announced they had overthrown the democratically elected president.
Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world, receiving close to $2 billion a year in official development assistance, according to the World Bank.
It is also a security partner of former colonial power France and the United States, which both use it as a base to fight an Islamist insurgency in West and Central Africa’s wider Sahel region.
Niger’s foreign allies so far have refused to recognize the new military government led by General Abdourahamane Tiani, previously head of the presidential guard.
“In addition to the immediate cessation of budget support, all cooperation actions in the domain of security are suspended indefinitely with immediate effect,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement.
The French foreign ministry said France had suspended all development aid and budget support with immediate effect, demanding a prompt return to constitutional order with Bazoum back in charge.
French development aid for Niger was at around 120 million euros ($130 million) in 2022 and is expected to be slightly higher this year.
The United States has two military bases in Niger with some 1,100 soldiers, and also provides hundreds of millions of dollars to the country in security and development aid.
Niger is a key partner of the European Union in helping curb the flow of irregular migrants from sub-Saharan Africa. The EU also has a small number of troops in Niger for a military training mission.
The bloc allocated 503 million euros ($554 million) from its budget to improve governance, education and sustainable growth in Niger over 2021-2024.
Through its European Peace Facility, the EU had approved around 70 million euros to support Niger’s armed forces since July last year, including 4.7 million euros of weapons approved on June 8. The United Nations said the coup has not affected its deliveries of humanitarian aid.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the West African Monetary Union will hold emergency summits in Nigeria on Sunday to discuss the situation, and further economic and financial sanctions could be decided.
After an emergency meeting on Friday, the African Union issued a statement demanding the military return to their barracks and restore constitutional order within 15 days.
