NIAMEY: A senior US diplomat has met with Niger’s coup leaders to restore democracy in the Western African state but reported no progress in resolving the crisis, AFP reported on Monday.
The U.S. State Department’s acting No. 2 Victoria Nuland said her meeting lasted for more than two hours with military leaders who, on July 26, ousted democratically elected Western ally Mohamed Bazoum.
She said that the talks were extremely frank and at times quite difficult adding that she offered a number of options to end the crisis and restore the relationship with the United States and the international community.
She said the junta did not respond to her requests to meet Niger’s self-proclaimed new leader, General Abdourahamane Tiani, or the detained president, Mohamed Bazoum.
Nuland informed the media that said she held meeting with Brigadier General Moussa Salaou Barmou, the new military chief of staff of Niger.
US warns against bringing Wagner group to Niger
The US Envoy said she warned Niger against bringing in Russia’s Wagner group to the crisis-hit country.
She strongly believed that such a move would undermine the sovereignty of Niger.
Nuland’s trip, was conducted after the junta ignored a deadline set by the ECOWAS regional bloc to restore Bazoum as Niger’s president or face military intervention.
Read Also: Burkina Faso, Mali to Send Joint Delegation to Niger
The 15-nation African bloc said it would hold a conference on Thursday in the Nigerian capital Abuja on Niger crisis.
Niger’s neighboring states Mali, Burkina Faso, both ruled by military leaders, have planned to send a joint official delegation to Niamey to express solidarity with coup leaders.
Niger holds an important position in western strategies as it has been combating jihadist insurgencies since 2012, with the support of France and the United States.
