The United States Department of State’s spokesperson, Matthew Miller, announced on Tuesday, August 08, 2023, that US aid programs to the government of Niger have been temporarily halted due to the recent military takeover in the country.
If the junta leaders were to step aside and restore constitutional order, the aid suspension could be reversed.
The United States Department of State’s spokesperson, Matthew Miller, announced on Tuesday, August 08, 2023, that US aid programs to the government of Niger have been temporarily halted due to the recent military takeover in the country.
The suspended aid, valued at more than $100 million, includes a range of support, from development aid to security assistance.
Addressing the press during a briefing, Miller emphasized that this pause in aid could have significant repercussions for Niger if the country’s junta does not reinstate the elected government.
He mentioned, “We announced the Secretary announced on Friday also that we are pausing assistance to the government for the time being… It’s a significant amount. I don’t have a number but over 100 million dollars.”
Miller expressed hope that if the junta leaders were to step aside and restore constitutional order, the aid suspension could be reversed. However, he highlighted that currently, “hundreds of millions of dollars are at stake again. It is a number over 100 million dollars, but it’s hard to give an exact amount because we just made this pause here.”
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Meanwhile, delegations from Mali and Burkina Faso’s military governments have offered their full support to the military coup leaders in Niger. In a show of solidarity, they visited the new head of state of Niger, General Abdourahamane Tiani, in Niamey the country’s capital.
This development comes in the midst of regional block ECOWAS’ plans to hold a summit to strategize their response to the situation. The deadline set by ECOWAS for the reinstatement of President Muhammad Bazoum was ignored by the military leaders, who are still holding him captive.
Meanwhile, residents in Niger’s capital have welcomed the arrival of military delegates from Mali and Burkina Faso in hopes that troops from the regions other John called States could help protect the leaders of Niger’s recent coup from a potential show of force from other west African Nations.
