WASHINGTON, Aug 2, 2023 (AFP) – The United States on Wednesday ordered a partial evacuation of its embassy in Niger, the State Department said, a week after the fragile nation was rocked by a coup.
“On August 2, 2023, the Department ordered the departure of non-emergency U.S. government employees and eligible family members from Embassy Niamey,” an updated US travel advisory for Niger said.
The advisory warned US citizens “not to travel to Niger,” but stopped short of advising all Americans to leave the landlocked African country.
“The U.S. Embassy in Niamey has temporarily reduced its personnel, suspended routine services, and is only able to provide emergency assistance to U.S. citizens in Niger,” the advisory added.
The United States has strongly condemned the overthrow of President Mohamed Bazoum but, unlike France and other European countries, did not order evacuations or suspend its aid to Niger, which is worth several hundred million dollars.
“The United States rejects all efforts to overturn Niger’s constitutional order, and stands with the people of Niger … in support of democratic governance and respect for the rule of law and human rights,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement late Wednesday.
He added that the US remains “diplomatically engaged at the highest levels.”
Earlier, he told a State Department briefing that there was no indication of threats targeting Americans in Niger or American facilities such as the embassy, saying that the situation in Niamey was “calm” and “fluid.”
About 1,000 US troops are stationed in Niger, where they were helping the ousted president, Mohamed Bazoum, combat a regional Islamist insurgency.
Bazoum was overthrown on July 26 when members of his own guard detained him at the presidency.
