US Delegation Including AFRICOM Commander Heads to Niger

By Al Mayadeen English

13 Mar 2024 10:30

The US Department of State announces that a delegation made up of Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Celeste Wallander, and AFRICOM Commander General Michael Langley has headed to Niger from March 12 till 13.

In a significant diplomatic move, an important US delegation embarked on a visit to Niger on March  -13. The delegation's mission is to engage in vital discussions, building on previous talks, with Nigerien leaders of the National Council for Safeguarding the Homeland (CNSP).

The focus of the discussions revolves around Niger's "return to a democratic path", as well as "the future of US security and development partnership," according to a US statement.

In a media note, the US Department of State said that "Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Celeste Wallander, and AFRICOM Commander General Michael Langley will travel to Niger from March 12 till 13 to continue ongoing discussions since August with leaders of the National Council for Safeguarding the Homeland (CNSP) regarding Niger’s return to a democratic path and the future of our security and development partnership."

It is important to note, that until now, no official statement has yet been released by the CNSP regarding the visit or the possible points of discussion.

This comes after the US Department of State, in August, announced that a new US ambassador, Kathleen FitzGibbon, was dispatched to Niamey as diplomatic attempts to address Niger's political situation following last month's military coup continue.

However, Kathleen FitzGibbon will not formally deliver her credentials to the military administration, which the US does not recognize, according to a statement from the department.

The statement noted that the arrival of FitzGibbon does not change the US policy, but rather "responds to the need for senior leadership of our mission at a challenging time." 

Her role, according to the statement, at the time, has been to search for a diplomatic solution to preserve order in Niger and to press for the release of President Mohamed Bazoum and those illegally detained with him.

ECOWAS' stringent sanctions imposed on Niger lifted

West Africa's ECOWAS regional bloc announced, on Saturday, the lifting of certain sanctions imposed on Niger in the aftermath of last year's military coup.

The measures, including a no-fly zone, border closures, and asset freezes, are being halted "immediately" on "humanitarian grounds", as stated by ECOWAS Commission chief Omar Alieu Touray after an emergency summit of heads of state in Abuja.

Following a military coup that ousted Niger's president, Mohamed Bazoum, in July last year, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) responded by suspending trade and implementing stringent sanctions. However, despite the bloc's initial warning of potential military intervention, there is minimal indication that Bazoum, who remains imprisoned in the presidential palace in Niamey, is on the verge of being reinstated.

During the summit in Nigeria's capital, Touray advocated for the "immediate release" of Bazoum. He specified that the measures slated for removal encompass the freezing of Niger's assets in ECOWAS central banks and the suspension of financial transactions between ECOWAS states and Niger.

But Touray said, as quoted by AFP, that "individual sanctions as well as political sanctions remain in place in Niger... (and) in other countries political sanctions remain."

At the commencement of the summit, Nigeria's President Bola Ahmed Tinubu urged concerned West African leaders to reconsider their approach to addressing the states in the region that have experienced coups.

Tinubu told the leaders they were meeting at a "critical juncture", adding, "We must re-examine our current approach to the quest for constitutional order in four of our member states."

Tinubu, who is also head of ECOWAS, urged Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger to "reconsider the decision" of prompt exit from the West African bloc ECOWAS and said they should "not perceive our organization as the enemy."