United States "freezes" some aid programs for Niger government

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Friday the suspension of some aid programs earmarked for the Niger government, over a week after the military coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum. 

Blinken stated in a release that the "US government is temporarily halting certain foreign assistance programs benefiting the Niger government," without providing details about those programs. 

However, he added that "life-saving humanitarian and food assistance will continue," and the United States will continue diplomatic and security operations to protect its personnel there. 

This move comes as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) announced on Friday, at the conclusion of a meeting of its member states' army leaders, an agreement on a "possible military intervention" against the coup plotters. 

On his part, Bazoum published an op-ed in The Washington Post warning of the "devastating consequences" of the coup on the world and the Sahel region, which he believes could lead to Russia gaining "influence" through the Wagner Group militia. 

Bazoum appealed to the "US government and the international community as a whole to assist us in restoring the constitutional order." 

Niger has played a vital role in Western strategies against jihadist insurgency in the African Sahel region since 2012, with around a thousand US soldiers stationed in the country. 

Blinken affirmed, "As we have made clear from the outset of this situation, US assistance to the Niger government depends on democratic governance and respect for the constitutional order." 

He added, "We remain committed to supporting the people of Niger in preserving the hard-won democracy they have achieved, and we reiterate our call for the immediate restoration of democratically elected Nigerien authorities." 

AFP