US urges release of Niger's president; no evacuations of Americans for now

[July 28, 2023]  By Trevor Hunnicutt and Kanishka Singh
 
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States condemns efforts to detain or subvert the functioning of Niger's democratically elected government, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Wednesday, and urged the release of President Mohamed Bazoum after he was detained inside his palace.   

Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum speaks during the commissioning of Dangote Petroleum refinery in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria May 22, 2023. REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja/File Photo

"We specifically urge elements of the presidential guard to release President Bazoum from detention and refrain from violence," Sullivan said in a statement. The White House was monitoring the situation to ensure the safety of U.S. citizens, he added.

Presidential guards were holding the Niger president inside his palace in Niamey, the capital, on Wednesday in what neighboring countries called an attempted coup, but which the presidency described as an "anti-republican" movement "in vain."

White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters that for now there were no discussions on evacuations of Americans from Niger and said the U.S. was still gathering details about the evolving situation.

"It's not entirely clear what's going on," Kirby said. The U.S. would not make any conclusions yet if it considered it a coup attempt, he said in response to a question, adding, "We'll just have to watch and see where it goes."

The U.S. State Department said it was in communication with the U.S. Embassy in Niamey.

West Africa's main regional and economic bloc, ECOWAS, said it was concerned about an attempted coup d'etat and called on the plotters to free Bazoum. The African Union also condemned what it called a coup attempt and urged the "felon" soldiers involved to return to barracks immediately.

The national army was ready to attack the guards if they did not come to their senses, the presidency said in a statement.

The United States says it has spent around $500 million since 2012 to help Niger boost its security.

"We welcome the strong statements and steps taken by the Economic Community of West African States and the African Union to defend Niger’s democracy," Sullivan said on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh, Trevor Hunnicutt and Rami AyyubEditing by Bill Berkrot and Leslie Adler)

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