US Secretary of State Antony Blinken offered Niger's ousted leader Mohamed Bazoum Washington's steadfast support, and warned those detaining him that "hundreds of millions of dollars of assistance" was at risk.
General Abdourahamane Tiani, head of the Presidential Guard since 2011, has declared himself the new leader of Niger after a coup earlier this week in which the pro-Western Bazoum was detained.
Blinken, who was wrapping up a multi-nation Pacific tour on Friday, called Bazoum for the second time in as many days to offer America's "unflagging support", department spokesman Matt Miller said in a statement.
The US secretary of state also "praised Bazoum's role in promoting security not only in Niger but the wider West Africa region", and said Washington would keep working to "ensure the full restoration of constitutional order and democratic rule in Niger".
In a separate call to former Nigerien leader Mahamadou Issoufou, Blinken expressed concern over Bazoum's ongoing detention, and that "negotiations to ensure constitutional order in Niger were at an impasse".
He told Issoufou that he "regretted that those detaining Bazoum were threatening years of successful cooperation and hundreds of millions of dollars of assistance" to Niamey, and asked Issoufou to keep working on Bazoum's behalf, Miller said.
Washington had already warned it could cease security and other cooperation with Niger, where about 1,000 US troops are stationed.
Blinken also spoke with French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna about the situation in Niger, emphasising the "urgency of efforts to restore constitutional order" in the West African nation.
EU suspends security cooperation, African Union ‘condemns’ coup
The EU on Saturday said it would not recognise Niger's putschists and that it was suspending security cooperation with the country.
"The European Union does not recognise and will not recognise the authorities from the putsch in Niger," the bloc's chief diplomat Josep Borrell said in a statement.
"All cooperation in the security field is suspended indefinitely with immediate effect" in addition to an end to budgetary aid, he added.
Bazoum "remains the only legitimate president of Niger", the statement said, calling for his immediate release and holding coup leaders to account for his safety.
Borrell said the EU was ready to support future decisions taken by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), "including the adoption of sanctions".
The EU allocated €503 million from its budget to improve governance, education and sustainable growth in Niger over 2021-2024, according to its website.
The African Union said Friday that it “condemns” the coup and demands that “military personnel” in Niger "return to their barracks and restore constitutional authority" within 15 days.
The AU's Peace and Security Council "demands the military personnel to immediately and unconditionally return to their barracks and restore constitutional authority, within a maximum period of fifteen (15) days", it said in a communique following a meeting Friday on the coup.
It "condemns in the strongest terms possible" the overthrow of Niger’s elected government, and expressed deep concern over the "alarming resurgence" of military coups in Africa.
Leaders from West Africa's regional bloc will meet on Sunday in Abuja to discuss the coup, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu said.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters, AFP)
