US general, senior officials hold talks with Niger junta

A United States general and top officials visited Niger Republic on Tuesday to see the military junta.

Their visit was to renew contact after the coup leaders ousted the elected leader, Mohamed Bazoum, who booted out French forces and moved closer to Russia.

The commander of US Africa Command, General Michael Langley, was part of the delegation that is visiting Niger on Wednesday, the State Department said.

Top diplomat, Antony Blinken, on March 15, 2023, embarked on an official trip to the Niger Republic.

Blinken’s visit came as the West African country emerged as an increasingly significant partner to the US and its European allies in the Sahel region, following successive coups in Mali and Burkina Faso and the growing influence of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group.

Just four months later, the military deposed Bazoum and put him under house arrest. The junta took a hardline against former colonial power France, forcing the withdrawal of French troops in place for nearly a decade.

Niger’s military, which had worked closely with the United States, has not demanded a similar pullout of US forces.

But the junta has sought cooperation with Russia while stopping short of the full-fledged embrace of Moscow by military-run neighbors Mali and Burkina Faso.

Also joining the delegation in Niger were Molly Phee, the top State Department official for Africa, and Celeste Wallander, the assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs.

Earlier, the Economic Community of West African States imposed economic sanctions on the country

The sanctions were, however, lifted three weeks ago following the intervention of Nigeria’s ex-military head of state, Gen. Yakubu Gowon.

The President, ECOWAS Commission, Omar Touray, said the decisions were taken in the interest of unity and security in the African sub-region.

However, in a brief statement, the State Department, said the US delegation will hold talks with the junta on “Niger’s return to a democratic path and the future of our security and development partnership,” as quoted by AFP.

The United States still stations some 1,000 troops in Niger at a desert drone base built for $100 million, although movements have been limited since the coup and Washington has curbed assistance to the government.