U.S. Embassy staff in Niger are now ordered to evacuate. This was confirmed by the Department of State on Wednesday, Aug. 2.
U.S. officials said that embassy employees need to leave the country together with their families as the tension in Niger intensifies.
US Embassy Staff in Niger Ordered to Evacuate
According to Reuters' latest report, the U.S. Department of State said that embassy staff and their families should temporarily evacuate the West African country.
The federal government executive department explained that they are required to do this even if the mission remains open.
"Given ongoing developments in Niger and out of an abundance of caution, the Department of State is ordering the temporary departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel and eligible family members," explained U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.
He added that although embassy staff will temporarily leave Niamey, the U.S. government will remain committed to its relationship with the country and the Nigerian democracy.
The State Department official further stated that the United States will remain diplomatically engaged at the highest levels.
Aside from this, Miller also promised that the U.S. Embassy in Niger will remain open for limited, emergency services to U.S. citizens.
Another State Department official said that the embassy employees will be transported via a chartered aircraft, saying that military airplanes will not be used for the departure operations.
But, the core U.S. Embassy officials are required to remain in the country.
What's Happening in Niger?
The Guardian reported that Niger is in chaos as of writing. It all started when the coup began.
On Aug. 2, a self-declared Niger leader warned that the junta will not reinstate Bazoum despite ongoing pressures from neighboring nations.
Because of this, Ecowas (Economic Community of West African States) said that if coup leaders will not restore Bazoum's presidency, they will not hesitate to use force against them,
As of press time, Ecowas is having a hard time containing a democratic backslide in Western Africa.
Officials vowed that coup leaders will no longer be tolerated, especially after military takeovers in member states, such as Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Mali.
If you want to learn more about the ongoing crisis in Niger, you can click this link.
