The United States Goverment has reacted to the evacuation ongoing by France and European Nationals in Republic of Niger over the military junta taking over the Government of the State.
State Department Spokesman, Mathew Miller at the Press Briefing on Monday while responding to questions from journalists urged Nigerien authorities to facilitate an orderly, safe evacuation.
According to him, “At this time, we do not have indications of threats to U.S. citizens or facilities, but we are continually reevaluating our posture to ensure the safety of our citizens”.
France on Tuesday, August 1, begun evacuating European nationals residing in Niamey, Niger, following recent call by Paris to Europeans who wish to leave to signal for their immediate evacuation.
It was reported thag total of 850 people are expected to be evacuated, while this decision follows “acts of violence”, perpetrated against the French embassy and the “closure of airspace”, preventing the French from “leaving the country by their own means”.
Meanwhile, former colonial power France has had troops in the region for a decade helping to fight an Islamist insurgency, but some locals say they want the former colonial ruler to stop intervening in their affairs.
On Sunday, supporters of the junta burned French flags and attacked the French embassy in Niger’s capital, Niamey, prompting police to fire volleys of tear gas in response.
“Considering the situation in Niamey, the violence against our embassy the day before yesterday and the fact that the air space is shut and our citizens cannot leave by their own means.
“France is preparing the evacuation of its citizens and (other) European citizens who want to leave the country,” the foreign ministry said in a statement. The evacuation will start today,” it said.
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna told BFM TV late on Monday that the protest in front of embassy and the ensuing accusations that France shot at the crowd – which it denies, “have all usual ingredients of destabilisation, the Russian-African way”.
The Kremlin said on Monday that the situation in Niger was “cause for serious concern” and called for a swift return to constitutional order.
According to the French foreign ministry website, there were just under 1,200 French nationals in Republic of Niger in 2022.
The coup has raised fears for the security of the Sahel region. Niger is the world’s seventh-biggest producer of uranium, the radioactive metal widely used for nuclear energy and treating cancer.
Regional bloc ECOWAS has imposed sanctions, including a halt in all financial transactions and a national assets freeze, and said it could authorise force to reinstate Bazoum, who is still locked in his palace.
But the juntas of neighbouring Burkina Faso, Mali and Guinea all voiced their support for the coup’s leaders on Monday.
The United States said it’s inappropriate for military junta of Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea to make such statements at this point, adding that US will not going to engage in hypotheticals.
“We don’t need believe there’s any reason to ever get to that ultimate conclusion. We believe that the democratically elected president of Niger ought to be restored to full authority immediately”, Miller said.
