Top US diplomat Antony Blinken, on a uncommon go to to the landlocked West African nation, declares $150 million in new assist for Sahel area, together with Niger, considered one of world’s poorest nations.
![Niger's FM Hassoumi Massoudou [R], speaking alongside US' Blinken, says he has no proof of Wagner activities in Burkina Faso.](https://cdni0.trtworld.com/w960/h540/q75/152016_NEG20230316_1679005445797.jpg)
(AFP)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has provided new assist as he threw his help behind Niger on a uncommon go to, holding up the Western army companion and new democracy as a mannequin in an insurgency-torn area the place Russia is making inroads.
“Niger is a young democracy in a challenging part of the world,” Blinken advised a news convention within the capital Niamey on Thursday.
“But it remains true to the values we share. Niger has been quick to defend the democratic values under threat in neighbouring countries.”
After talks with President Mohamed Bazoum, Blinken introduced $150 million in new humanitarian help for the Sahel area, together with Niger, one of many world’s poorest nations.
The funding, which brings the entire for the Sahel to $233 million for the fiscal yr, consists of meals assist and help for migrants who’ve fled to war-ravaged Libya, he stated.
I loved studying extra in regards to the tradition and other people of Niger throughout my go to to the nation. The United States is proud to supply almost $150 million in humanitarian help to help weak populations in Niger and all through the Sahel.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) March 16, 2023
Niger has seen stability since a democratic restoration in 2011, as army regimes have taken over in neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso.
Mali has shifted decisively into Russia’s orbit, hiring the Wagner mercenary group after French troops withdrew following a nine-year army operation.
Burkina Faso, which noticed two coups final yr alone, has additionally fallen out with France, though each the nation’s army chief and Russia have denied claims together with from democratic Ghana that Wagner is working there.
Nigerien Foreign Minister Hassoumi Massoudou, talking alongside Blinken, stated he had no proof of Wagner actions in Burkina Faso however warned towards any motion to the group.
“Our hope,” he stated, “is that it does not go down this trajectory towards this organisation which we consider criminal and mercenary,” he stated.
“We see that Wagner is only present in failed or failing states,” he stated.
“Our democratic institutions can defeat terrorism. In fact, there is no alternative,” he stated.
Unlike many African diplomats, he additionally provided a full-throated condemnation of Russia’s offensive in Ukraine, noting Niger’s personal historical past as a former colony.
READ MORE: Blinken asks Ethiopia to strengthen peace on first post-war go to
(TRTWorld)
Niger hit by local weather disaster
Blinken started his go to by assembly former rebels who’ve been rehabilitated via vocational coaching backed by $20 million in US funding.
The programme is about “giving them a better choice” and is “from our perspective, very much a model that others can look to”, Blinken stated afterwards.
Blinken additionally stated the United States was dedicated to working with Niger on environmental challenges.
Niger is among the nations hit hardest by the local weather disaster, dropping 100,000 hectares of arable land annually to the desert, in accordance with the United Nations.
The Biden administration launched its bid for better engagement in Africa within the face of rising funding by China, seen as the highest rising challenger to the United States, however considerations have grown extra not too long ago about Russia.
Last month, Mali was considered one of simply six nations that joined Russia in voting towards a decision on the United Nations General Assembly urging Moscow to withdraw from Ukraine.
READ MORE: Conflicts, coups and droughts dominate Africa in 2022
(TRTWorld)
Niger has since change into the linchpin for French army efforts in West Africa, with 1,000 troops stationed within the nation.
The United States additionally operates so-called Air Base 201 within the centre of the desert nation, which is used to fly drones for assaults and surveillance on militants within the Sahel.
Blinken began talks in Addis Ababa on Thursday with the management of the African Union, a part of the Biden administration’s effort to indicate deference to the area and keep away from perceptions of an overbearing US position.
AU-led negotiations, backed by US diplomats, led to a November 2022 ceasefire that has largely ended the two-year Tigray civil battle in Ethiopia.
READ MORE:
US accuses Russia of exploiting Africa ‘to fund’ Ukraine battle
Source: AFP
Source: www.trtworld.com
