Niger has since become the linchpin for French military efforts in West Africa, with 1,000 troops stationed in the country. Last month, Mali was one of just six countries that joined Russia in voting against a resolution at the United Nations General Assembly urging Moscow to withdraw from Ukraine on the invasion's anniversary.īurkina Faso has also fallen out with France, though both the country's military leader and Russia have denied claims that Wagner is operating there. Niger's western neighbour Mali has shifted decisively into Russia's orbit, hiring the Wagner Group after French troops withdrew following a nine-year military operation that prevented a takeover by jihadists but became increasingly unpopular after successive coups. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken greets human rights leaders in Addis Ababa The Biden administration launched its bid for greater engagement in Africa in the face of rising investment by China, seen as the top rising challenger to the United States, but concerns have grown more recently about Russia. "That means the United States is committed to deep, responsive and genuine partnerships on the continent," Blinken told reporters. Speaking Wednesday on a visit to Ethiopia, Blinken said his trip to the two countries was part of President Joe Biden's pledge to be "all in on Africa, and all in with Africa". Niger is one of the countries worst hit by climate change, losing 100,000 hectares (250,000 acres) of arable land each year to desert. She also pointed to environmental threats. Despite all those challenges, the leadership is really trying to do the right thing," she said. "Frankly, Niger is in a very difficult position. The United States also wants to help Niger "professionalise" its armed forces to reduce civilian casualties when responding to jihadist violence, she added. So, we are trying to highlight a positive example," the official told reporters en route to Niamey, on condition of anonymity. "They are making the right choices, we think, to help deal with the types of threats that are common across the Sahel. The programme is about "giving them a better choice" and is "from our perspective, very much a model" for the region, Blinken said afterward.Ī senior US official travelling with Blinken said the trip was meant to support the efforts of Niger under President Mohamed Bazoum, a vocal critic of Russia's Wagner Group mercenaries increasingly active on the continent. He began his visit by meeting former violent extremists who have been rehabilitated through a vocational training programme backed by $20 million in US funding. Blinken is the highest-ranking US official to visit the former French colony, where both France and the United States maintain forces to battle jihadist insurgencies in the troubled Sahel region.īlinken is expected to announce more US assistance to Niger, one of the world's poorest countries, which returned to stability in 2011 after a history of coups.
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