Niger: US Assistant Secretary Meets Tinubu, ECOWAS Leaders

 

United States’ Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Molly Phee has met with the Heads of States and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) led by Nigeria's president, Bola Tinubu, to find solutions to the political crisis in Niger Republic.

The visit of the US envoy for this latest effort at mediation was contained in a statement issued on the website of the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, over the crisis in Niger, where military leaders ousted a democratically elected government on July 26.

The US envoy arrived in Nigeria on Saturday and held talks with the Nigerian president, Bola Tinubu, as well as leaders of ECOWAS during their Heads of State and government summit in Abuja Sunday.

“During her visit, she will consult with West African leaders on how the United States can best support regional efforts to return Niger to a democratic path and to promote security, stability, prosperity, and democracy in the Sahel,” a statement from the U.S. Department of State said.

Phee’s visit to Nigeria comes four months after some Nigerien military officers led by Abdourahmane Tchiani overthrew the democratically elected government of President Mohamed Bazoum.

The outrage that greeted the coup was massive, with Western countries supporting the efforts by the African Union and ECOWAS bloc to put pressure on the military junta to return the country to democratic order.

The ECOWAS highest authority had threatened to invade Niger to restore democratic order but eventually settled for some crippling sanctions against the junta to force them to restore constitutional order in the beleaguered country.

The outrage against the coup is understandable because Niger holds strategic economic and geopolitical significance internationally considering its two natural resources, uranium and oil, which hold some strategic importance in the international market.

Despite the pressures, the coup leaders have remained adamant and are trying to consolidate their hold on power. They justified toppling Bazoum accusing him of failure to address the economic challenges and the lingering insecurity facing some parts of the country.