U.S. officials have condemned the military officers’ seizure of power but have so far avoided using the word “coup.” Under U.S. law, such a declaration would require halting all American aid to the country and the end of all security cooperation with Niger.
U.S. officials told NBC News the situation remained fluid and it was unclear if the coup would hold. But they acknowledged that the strong statement from the ECOWAS summit may have increased tension in Niger
Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday warned that economic and security ties between the U.S. and Niger would depend on the release of President Bazoum from house arrest and the restoration of “the democratic order in Niger.”
Although U.S. officials say there is no sign Russia was behind the coup, former diplomats and regional experts say Russia’s paramilitary Wagner Group has churned out anti-Western, anti-French propaganda for months that sought to depict President Bazoum’s government as puppets of Paris.
Wagner paramilitaries have ties to military juntas in Mali and other countries in the region. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner Group, which led a brief mutiny in Russia last month, praised the coup in Niger on Thursday, calling it a fight against “colonizers.”
Late Sunday night, the streets of Niamey were quiet, with most people adhering to a nationwide curfew in effect for a fifth night. With President Bazoum still held captive in his presidential residence, no clear path appeared to exist for resolving Niger’s crisis.
Courtney Kube and Mosheh Gains reported from Niamey, and Dan De Luce reported from Washington.
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