U.S. orders departure of non-emergency government personnel from Niger
Niger's new military ruler Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani on Wednesday warned against foreign meddling against the coup.
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Niger's new military ruler Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani on Wednesday warned against foreign meddling against the coup.
Evacuation flights out of Niger began arriving in Paris and Rome Wednesday morning with 21 Americans among the evacuees. More evacuation flights from the West African country are expected following last week's coup overthrowing Niger's president. Vedant Patel, principal deputy spokesperson for the State Department, joined CBS News to talk about what the United States is doing in the aftermath of the coup.
The U.S. hasn't called the military takeover in Niger a coup and isn't organizing evacuations, but 21 U.S. nationals have escaped on a European plane.
France says it is going to evacuate its citizens from Niger beginning Tuesday, according to the country's foreign ministry. This comes after a military junta overthrew Niger's pro-western president during a coup last week. BBC News reporter Chris Ewokor joined CBS News to talk about the situation.
NSC spokesman John Kirby said the White House still sees a "window" for diplomacy to resolve the crisis.
In Niger, where a military junta seized power last week, thousands of coup supporters took to the streets of the country's capital Sunday waving Russian flags and denouncing the former colonial power, France. Some protesters threw stones at the French Embassy, breaking windows. Declan Walsh, chief Africa correspondent for The New York Times, joined CBS News with more on the situation.
Various factions of Niger's military have reportedly wrangled for control since members of the presidential guard detained President Mohamed Bazoum.
A group of army-backed soldiers in Niger say they have overthrown the country's democratically elected president and seized power. The president's own guards have reportedly taken him hostage, citing poor national security and a struggling economy. Ebenezer Obadare, a senior fellow for Africa studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, joined CBS News to talk about the situation.
The challenge to the democratically elected leader in a "critical" U.S. partner nation is the latest in series of coup attempts in the tumultuous Sahel region.
In an attempted coup, disgruntled members of the elite Presidential Guard sealed off access to Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum's residence and offices in the capital Niamey after talks broke down.
Jeff Woodke, an American missionary who spent six years in captivity in Africa, says he was beaten, locked in chains and pressured repeatedly to convert to Islam.
American aid worker Jeff Woodke, who was kidnapped in Niger in 2016, has been freed. The 61-year-old had lived and worked in the country for more than 30 years before his abduction.
As the Biden administration's concern over the influence of Russia and China in Africa grows, Secretary of State Antony Blinken is visiting Niger and Ethiopia to reiterate America's commitment. CBS News foreign correspondent Debora Patta explains how significant the trip is.