US announces partial evacuation of embassy in Niger

(Patria) - The United States has ordered a partial evacuation of its embassy in Niger following last week's coup. Hundreds of foreign nationals have already been evacuated from the country, and on Sunday, demonstrators attacked the French embassy, the BBC reported.

The leader of the coup, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, warned against "any interference in the internal affairs" of the country. Niger is a significant producer of uranium and is located on a key migration route to North Africa and the Mediterranean.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with the ousted president Mohamed Bazoum on Wednesday, the State Department announced, adding that the US is committed to restoring Niger's democratically elected government.

Spokesperson Matthew Miller said that despite the partial evacuation, the country's embassy in the capital Niamey will remain open.

"We remain committed to the people of Niger and our relationship with the people of Niger, and we remain diplomatically engaged at the highest levels," he said.

The US is a major donor of humanitarian and security assistance to Niger and had previously warned that the coup could lead to the suspension of all cooperation. France, the former colonial power in Niger, and the EU have already suspended financial and development aid.

The Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), a trade bloc of 15 West African countries, has imposed sanctions including the suspension of all commercial transactions with Niger and the freezing of the country's assets in the regional central bank.
In a televised address on Wednesday, General Tchiani said the new regime rejected "these sanctions in their entirety and refuses to yield to any threat, wherever it may come from".

Ecowas military chiefs also met in Nigeria on Wednesday to discuss a possible military intervention, although they said such action would be a "last resort".
General Tchiani, the former head of President Bazoum's presidential guard, seized power on July 26, saying he wanted to prevent Niger's "gradual and inevitable decline".

The coup has sparked large demonstrations against France, which remains a key partner, and in favor of Russia, whose influence in West and Central Africa has grown in recent years. On Sunday, hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the French embassy in Niamey, with some chanting "Long live Russia," "Long live Putin," and "Down with France".

Niger, where both France and the US have military bases, has been a key Western ally in the fight against jihadists in the Sahel, the BBC writes.