An aerial view of the streets of the capital Niamey, Niger, July 28, 2023. Photo by Reuters/Souleymane Ag Anara
The United States has ordered the evacuation of some staff and their families from its embassy in Niger after military officers seized power there, the State Department said Wednesday.
Niger is a key Western ally in the fight against Islamist insurgents. Foreign powers condemned the takeover, fearing it would allow militants to gain ground.
“Given ongoing developments in Niger and out of an abundance of caution, the Department of State is directing the temporary departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel and eligible family members from the U.S. Embassy in Niamey,” said State Department spokesman Matthew Miller in a statement. statement.
“The United States remains committed to our relationship with the people of Niger and to Nigerien democracy. We remain diplomatically engaged at the highest levels,” Miller said.
He said the embassy remains open for emergency services limited to US citizens.
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of the announcement, said US personnel would be moved out of Niger by planes chartered by the State Department and that military aircraft would not be used. The official said “essential” staff will remain at the embassy.
The State Department advises Americans against traveling to Niger.
France, the United States, Germany and Italy have troops in Niger on counterinsurgency and training missions, helping the military fight al-Qaeda and state-linked groups Islamic.
France and Italy evacuate European citizens from Niger.
There have been no announcements of troop withdrawals so far. There are approximately 1,100 US troops in Niger, where the US military operates from two bases.
The United States has been criticized for its handling of the evacuation of American citizens in Sudan after the sudden eruption of violence between the military and the well-armed paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces on April 15 turned residential areas into zones of war and prompted hundreds of thousands of people to flee.
Washington evacuated all government personnel from the US embassy in Khartoum and suspended operations there due to security risks. But US citizens faced difficulties leaving the country amid the violence and were victims of robbery and looting.
