WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States has ordered the evacuation of certain personnel and their families from its embassy in Niger following a military coup, according to the State Department. Despite this, the embassy will remain open, and senior officials will continue their work from there.
Niger is an important Western ally in the fight against Islamist insurgents, and the foreign powers are concerned that the coup could allow the militants to make advances.
“Due to the ongoing situation in Niger, and as a precautionary measure, the Department of State is requesting that non-essential U.S. government personnel and their eligible family members temporarily leave the U.S. Embassy in Niamey,” said Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the State Department.
Miller added, “The United States remains committed to our relationship with Nigerien people and their democracy. We will stay engaged on a diplomatic level.”
The statement emphasized that the embassy would still be providing limited emergency services to U.S. citizens.
A U.S. official, who spoke anonymously before the official announcement, explained that the personnel would be evacuated by State Department-chartered aircraft, with no use of military aircraft. The official also mentioned that the “core” staff would remain at the embassy.
The State Department is advising Americans against traveling to Niger.
France, the United States, Germany, and Italy have deployed troops to Niger to counter insurgencies and provide training, assisting the national army in combating groups affiliated with al Qaeda and the Islamic State.
France and Italy are currently evacuating European citizens from Niger.
There have been no announcements of military troop withdrawals thus far. In Niger, the U.S. military maintains operations at two bases with around 1,100 personnel stationed there.
Previously, the United States faced criticism for its handling of the evacuation of U.S. citizens in Sudan during violent clashes between the military and the heavily armed Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group on April 15, which transformed residential areas into war zones and prompted hundreds of thousands of people to flee.
Due to security risks, the U.S. embassy in Khartoum was completely evacuated, and operations were suspended. However, U.S. citizens encountered difficulties leaving the country amidst the violence, experiencing incidents of robbery and looting.
(Reporting by Idrees Ali and Daphne Psaledakis; Additional reporting by Eric Beech Editing by Lisa Shumaker, Alistair Bell, and Chris Reese)
Credit: The Star : News Feed
