It was a difficult mission, but a necessary one, said Deputy US Secretary of State Victoria Nuland after her visit to Niger’s capital Niamey on Monday. One could put it less diplomatically: the military junta, which has been in power in Niger since the end of July, continues to show little interest in talks about a peaceful solution to the crisis that it triggered with its coup.
Nuland said he spoke for more than two hours in Niamey with the new armed forces chief of staff, Moussa Salao Barmou, and three other members of the military junta. The conversation was “open and sometimes difficult”. She pushed for a negotiated solution, but to no avail. The junta is “very firm in its stance on how to proceed, and this stance is not in line with Niger’s constitution,” Nuland said. Apparently so decided that Nuland didn’t even get an appointment with the leader of the putschists, the self-proclaimed President Abdourahamane Tchiani.
The West African Ecowas countries are preparing for a possible military operation
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed on Tuesday that Washington would continue to focus on negotiations. But Nuland’s visit was the latest evidence of how difficult it will be to find a negotiated solution. Last week, the military junta in Niger already rebuffed representatives of the West African community of states Ecowas. The delegation arrived on Thursday for two-day talks, but left Niamey after just a few hours. The Ecowas representatives were not received by Tchiani either.
Like the USA, the Ecowas countries are still trying to find a diplomatic solution. But at the same time they are preparing for a possible military operation in Niger. The defense ministers of the group drew up corresponding plans last week. How to proceed is to be decided at a special meeting on Thursday in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja.
The Sunday before last, Ecowas called on the putschists to restore constitutional order in Niger; otherwise, they do not rule out an intervention. This ultimatum expired on Sunday without the military junta giving in.
Arguably the biggest obstacle to negotiations is the difficulty in imagining a compromise with the junta. Ultimately, Ecowas – supported by the US and the EU – is demanding nothing less than a complete relinquishment of power by the new leadership in favor of the deposed government of President Mohamed Bazoum. Victoria Nuland also hinted at this after her visit to Niamey. It wasn’t easy to find a starting point for negotiations, she said. Her delegation was not granted a meeting with Bazoum, despite repeated requests that she was only able to talk to him on the phone.
The US diplomat warns Niger against using Wagner mercenaries
According to Nuland, the topic of the talks was also the Russian mercenary group Wagner. According to reports, the first contacts were made when a Nigerien delegation visited Mali last week.
In Mali, around 1,000 Wagner mercenaries are said to be fighting alongside the army against terrorists. Mali has also pledged help to Niger in the event of an intervention. Nuland said she warned the military junta in Niamey against bringing Wagner into the country. The mercenaries are a “threat” to the countries in which they are active. Security is deteriorating, as is the human rights situation. But she has the feeling that the putschists know very well the risks that an invitation to Wagner poses to their sovereignty.
And according to Nuland, the coup plotters are also aware of another risk: the risk of losing the United States as an ally. Washington would then cancel all aid that has already been frozen, including in the area of security. The United States has 1,100 soldiers stationed in the country and operates, among other things, a drone base near the city of Agadez.
Nuland says they had a remarkable opportunity to discuss what is at stake for Niger with Chief of Staff Barmou. Because Barmou worked closely with the US troops for many years. “In the past, our collaboration was very important to him,” said Nuland.