The United States ordered the partial evacuation of its embassy in Niger on Wednesday, according to the State Department, a week after the fragile country was shaken by a coup.
“On August 2, 2023, the Department ordered the departure of non-emergency U.S. government employees and eligible family members from Embassy Niamey,” an updated US travel advisory for Niger said.
The advisory warned US citizens “not to travel to Niger,” but stopped short of advising all Americans to leave the landlocked West African country. It had previously told US citizens to “reconsider travel.”
“The U.S. Embassy in Niamey has temporarily reduced its personnel, suspended routine services, and is only able to provide emergency assistance to U.S. citizens in Niger,” the advisory added.
The US has harshly criticized the ouster of President Mohamed Bazoum, but, unlike France and other European countries, has not ordered mass evacuations or suspended funding to Niger, which is worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
It has halted operations such as training with Niamey’s soldiers.
The State Department stated in a statement that Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Bazoum for the second time in two days on Wednesday.
“We reiterate that the safety and security of President Bazoum and his family are paramount,” it added.
State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller had said in a statement earlier that the United States remains “diplomatically engaged at the highest levels.”
He added that the United States “rejects all efforts to overturn Niger’s constitutional order, and stands with the people of Niger … in support of democratic governance and respect for the rule of law and human rights.”
The White House later announced that a senior US official, Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer, had met Wednesday with Nigeria’s president to “discuss regional security issues” and “constructively engage on next steps to preserve Niger’s hard-earned democracy.”
The current chair of the ECOWAS West African regional group, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, has threatened the “use of force” to restore constitutional order in Niger.
Miller previously told a State Department briefing that there was no evidence of threats to Americans in Niger or American facilities such as the embassy, and that the situation in Niamey was “calm” and “fluid.”
Around 1,000 US troops are stationed in Niger, assisting Bazoum in combating a regional Islamist insurgency.
Bazoum was detained at the presidency on July 26 by members of his personal protection.
