West African Countries Gather Again; 'Difficult' Dialogue Between Senior U.S. Official and Niger Coup Leaders

Victoria Nuland, the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, during her visit to Niamey, the capital of Niger, described her talks with the coup leaders as 'honest and difficult' after meeting with several members of the country's military council. According to Reuters, Nuland added, 'The military council officials of Niger did not accept the United States' proposals for restoring democratic order.' She noted that the coup leaders prevented her from meeting with Mohamed Bazoum, the democratically elected president of Niger, who is under house arrest. This senior U.S. diplomat also described the coup officers as 'indifferent' to U.S. pressures to restore civilian governance in the country. West African countries, which had previously warned the coup leaders of military action, will hold a meeting on Thursday to discuss the coup. They and global powers hope that before this meeting and decisions regarding military intervention to restore democracy in Niger, there is still a window of opportunity for negotiation with the coup leaders. Following the imposition of ECOWAS sanctions and the suspension of aid from Western allies, the coup leaders have committed to resisting external pressures to restore the ousted president, Mohamed Bazoum. ECOWAS defense chiefs had previously agreed to plan for possible military action in Niger if Bazoum is not freed and returned to power, although they stated that operational decisions would be made by the heads of state. This coup, the seventh in West and Central Africa in the past three years, has drawn global attention. Niger is significant for the U.S., Europe, China, and Russia due to its uranium and oil resources and its central role in the fight against Islamist militants. Mohamed Bazoum was ousted and imprisoned by the military on July 26, and General Abdourahamane Tiani, the commander of the presidential guard, has declared himself the leader of the country. Niger is a major uranium producer, and Bazoum was one of the African allies of Western countries in the fight against Islamic extremism in West Africa. The closing of Niger's airspace and the possibility of foreign military intervention; report by Masoud Malekjou Biden called for the 'immediate release' of the president of Niger. The United States is suspending part of its aid programs to the Niger government. The coup leaders have closed the airspace of Niger. As the deadline for the coup leaders approaches, France supports ECOWAS's efforts to neutralize the military coup in Niger. West African leaders are planning for possible military intervention in Niger. France has begun the evacuation of French and European nationals from Niger.