A top US diplomat flew to Niger for direct talks with its coup leaders in a high-stakes bid to end the military takeover and prevent another West African country falling under Russian influence.
Victoria Nuland, acting deputy secretary of state, held two hours of talks with the new military junta after it defied an ultimatum from a regional power bloc to relinquish power or face armed intervention.
But Ms Nuland, the most senior Western figure to travel to Niger since the coup, met stiff resistance in what appeared to be tense discussions in Niamey, the capital.
She said she had struggled to “get traction” during an “extremely frank and at times quite difficult” summit with General Moussa Salaou Barmou, the head of Niger’s special forces who worked closely with US troops before the coup.
“They are quite firm in their view on how they want to proceed, and it does not comport with the constitution of Niger,” she said.
The delegation was not allowed to meet Mohamed Bazoum, the democratically elected president, who she said was “under virtual house arrest”.
Ms Nuland said she presented coup leaders a number of options to exit the crisis, but was not “in any way taken up on that offer”.
She also warned Gen Barmou of the risks of cosying up to Wagner, the Kremlin-backed militia supporting neighbouring juntas in Africa.
She said: “Of course I raised Wagner and its threat to those countries where it is present, reminding them that security gets worse, that human rights get worse when Wagner enters.
She said the coup leadership “understand very well the risks to their sovereignty when Wagner is invited in”.
Western officials have said there is no evidence that Russia was behind the coup, but the Kremlin could take advantage of the crisis.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner group, has already hailed the coup as good news and offered his services.
Speaking after Ms Nuland’s visit, Prigozhin said the US would do anything, “even recognising” the military junta, as long as they did not have to deal with Wagner.
He said he would be happy to take a phone call from Ms Nuland “at any time convenient”.
Heads of state from the Economic Community of West African States are preparing for a summit on Thursday to discuss their standoff with the Niger junta, which defied an Aug 6 deadline to reinstate Mr Bazoum.
The possibility of military intervention will be on the table.
Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, said that diplomacy is the “best way” to resolve the situation in Niger, but declined to comment on a possible withdrawal of US soldiers from the country.
He also warned that Wagner was “taking advantage” of the instability, saying: “Every single place that this Wagner group has gone, death, destruction and exploitation have followed.”
Niger’s turmoil follows military takeovers in Sudan, Mali, Chad and Burkina Faso in the past few years, creating a coast-to-coast “coup belt” across Africa in countries already battling instability from jihadist terrorism, poverty and climate change.
The takeovers have kicked out several Western-friendly governments and the new rulers in Mali and the Central African Republic have instead turned to the Wagner group for military support.
Mr Bazoum’s government had been a key Western ally in the region, hosting American military bases and receiving significant aid to control northward migration toward Europe.
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Top US diplomat holds 'difficult' talks with coup leaders in Niger - The Telegraph
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