US withdraws its embassy personnel from Niger

In light of the current violence in Niger following a recent coup, the US State Department has ordered a partial withdrawal of diplomatic personnel stationed there.

On Wednesday, officials made the decision official and stated that non-emergency staff and family members had been told to leave the US Embassy in Niamey. They stated that the action was conducted “out of an abundance of caution” and was motivated by “ongoing developments in Niger.”

In response to President Mohamed Bazoum’s overthrow by opposition forces last week, the State Department issued a press release declaring that “the United States rejects all efforts to overturn Niger’s constitutional order and stands with the people of Niger.”

Other Western nations have made their own evacuation announcements, with France saying it would assist in the removal of its citizens and those from other EU nations on Tuesday. In light of a deteriorating security environment following the coup, Italy, Spain, and Germany have all issued expulsion orders to their respective citizenry.

Although Washington has refrained from calling the sudden change in leadership a “coup,” US officials still regard Bazoum as Niger’s legal president. The deposed president’s declaration that he had spoken with Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday prompted a call for the “restoration of the democratically-elected government.”

After Bazoum was taken into custody on July 26 by his own presidential guardsmen, senior military officer Abdourahamane Tchiani proclaimed himself the leader of a new junta, shutting down Niger’s borders, suspending many government agencies, and enforcing a curfew.

The ECOWAS regional group for West Africa has denounced the coup and given the junta seven days to restore Bazoum to power. The organisation has vowed to “take all necessary measures to restore constitutional order in the Republic of Niger,” including the use of force, if its demands are not met.

Mali and Burkina Faso, two of Niger’s neighbours, have issued statements cautioning against any military action by ECOWAS, claiming it would “amount to a declaration of war” on their respective nations. They have promised to leave the coalition and “adopt self-defense measures in support of the armed forces and the people of Niger” in the event that the regional group engages in armed conflict.