The United States of America has issued a stern warning to the Niger junta, noting that if the military leadership of the country does not promptly restore constitutional norms, the US might be left with no other option but to consider military engagement.
The disclosure was made by Victoria Nuland, the Acting Deputy Secretary of the United States, during a teleconference on Tuesday which was focused on the political situation Niger.
She noted, ‘…There is still a lot of motion here on many sides with regard to where the governance situation will go.’
‘So we will be watching that closely and there are a number of regional meetings coming up and consultations with allies and partners that we need to make.’
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‘So we’ll be watching the situation, but we understand our legal responsibilities and I explained those very clearly to the guys (Niger junta) who were responsible for this and that it is not our desire to go there, but they may push us to that point, and we asked them to be prudent in that regard and to hear our offer to try to work with them to solve this diplomatically and return to constitutional order.’
Nuland underscored that President Joe Biden has been engaging in ongoing discussions with President Tinubu, who holds the position of ECOWAS Chairman, in addition to several other European allies.
‘He’s also been in regular touch with President Tinubu of Nigeria, who is currently head of ECOWAS, with AU Chairperson Faki, and with a number of European allies with whom we work in Niger, particularly on counterterrorism.’
‘And all of this has been rooted in our shared values, including the sense of democracy, which was why it was so difficult, and remains difficult, to see the current challenge to the democratic order which began on July 26,’ she stressed.