US President Joe Biden issued a call for the “immediate release” of Niger’s deposed President Mohamed Bazoum, who has been in detention since last week due to a coup orchestrated by soldiers. The President urges the responsible parties to release President Bazoum promptly, emphasizing the importance of upholding democratic principles and respecting the rule of law. The United States stands firmly with the people of Niger in their pursuit of a peaceful and democratic future.
“I call for the immediate release of President Bazoum and his family, and for the preservation of hard-won democracy in Niger,” Joe Biden said in a statement released on the country’s 63rd independence anniversary. West Africa, a key military base for Western forces in their fight against jihadists in the Sahel.
This call from President Biden comes hours after the United States ordered the evacuation of its non-essential personnel at the embassy in Niamey. “Because of this development, the State Department has ordered the departure of non-essential government employees at the embassy” as well as their families, specifies a notice published Wednesday evening on its website.
At the same time, the State Department raised its alert level for Niger from 3 to 4, advising any American national not to travel to the country due to the security situation there.
This Thursday, hundreds of supporters of the military who took power in Niger by overthrowing President Mohamed Bazoum, began to gather in Niamey to support them. The demonstrators, some of whom were waving large Russian flags, began to gather in the center of the capital, Place de l’Indépendance, at the call of M62, a coalition of “sovereignist” civil society organizations.