The US has ordered the evacuation of part of its workers and families from its embassy in Niamey, Niger's capital, amid a military coup that has deposed the West African country's democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum.
“Today, we ordered the temporary departure of non-emergency personnel and eligible family members from Niger,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on Aug. 2.
“The U.S. is committed to our relationship with the people of Niger. The embassy remains open, and our leaders are diplomatically engaged at the highest levels.”
According to a news statement issued by the State Department on August 2, the U.S. The 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 Department of State increased its travel recommendation to "Level 4: Do Not Travel" and cautioned Americans not to travel to Niger, adding that US citizens had previously been told to "reconsider travel to Niger due to crime, terrorism, and kidnapping."
It follows on the heels of Niger's president's house detention on July 26, marking the eighth military takeover in West and Central Africa in less than three years.
A military officer named Gen. On July 28, Abdourahmane Tchiani, the chief of the presidential guards unit, declared himself Niger's new king.
Niger is an important Western ally in the war against Islamist rebels in the area. Foreign governments have decried the coup, believing that it may let radicals to gain control.
France, the United States, Germany, and Italy all have soldiers in Niger on counterinsurgency and training operations, assisting the army in combating terrorist organizations connected to al-Qaeda and ISIS in Africa's Sahel area.
There are around 1,100 US personnel in Niger, where the US military has two locations.
France, Italy, and Spain have declared evacuations of their people and other European citizens in Niamey, citing fears that they may get stuck. According to France's foreign ministry, about 1,000 passengers have departed on four aircraft, with a fifth evacuation beginning.
Mr. Tchiani, Niger's new military ruler, issued a warning against international influence and military action against the coup on August 2.
"We therefore call on the people of Niger as a whole and their unity to defeat all those who want to inflict unspeakable suffering on our hard-working populations and destabilize our country," Mr. Tchiani stated.
Following his dismissal of Mr. Bazoum, Mr. Tchiani vowed to establish the circumstances for a smooth transition to elections.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a West African regional grouping, has threatened to employ military action if Mr. Bazoum is not released from house arrest and restored by August 6. The EU has implemented harsh economic and travel penalties.
Mr. Tchiani has described ECOWAS sanctions as illegitimate, discriminatory, cruel, and unprecedented. He stated that Niger is experiencing tough times and that the "hostile and radical" views of people who oppose his leadership contribute nothing to the situation.
According to the State Department, Mr. Blinken called Mr. Bazoum on Aug. 1 and expressed the US's "unwavering support" for Mr. Bazoum and Niger's democracy.
The US Secretary of State also "emphasized that the US rejects efforts to overturn the constitutional order and stands with the people of Niger, [ECOWAS], the African Union, and international partners in support of democratic governance, rule of law, and human rights."
