Nuland negotiates with rebels in Niger

Acting Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland flew to Niger on August 7, where she held “extremely frank and at times quite difficult” meetings with representatives of the rebels who announced the overthrow of President Mohamed Bazum, transmits CNN.

During the trip, Nuland met with the appointed head of the General Staff of the Niger Armed Forces, General Moussa Salau Barmu and three colonels. Their names are not specified. The negotiations continued for about two hours. At the same time, she was unable to meet with the detained president, but talked to him on the phone.

Nuland noted that she suggested that the rebels “keep the doors open for diplomacy.” According to and.about. US Deputy Secretary of State, the ideas of the rebels do not coincide with the Constitution. “It will complicate our relations if they follow the chosen path. But we have given them several options to continue the conversation, and we hope that they will support us,” added Nuland.

On July 26, the Niger military announced the removal of President Mohamed Bazum and the closure of the country’s borders. At the same time, a nationwide curfew was announced and the activities of all institutions of the republic were suspended. The rebels explained their actions by deteriorating security, economic and social problems. The UN Security Council later called on the rebels to release the country’s democratically elected president. On August 2, the rebels announced the opening of air and land links with Algiers, Burkina Faso, Libya, Mali and Chad. On the evening of August 6, the country’s airspace was again closed due to the threat of a military invasion.

Commenting on the events in Niger, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the situation causes Moscow “serious concern.” “We stand for the speedy restoration of the rule of law in the country. We stand for restraint on all sides so that this does not lead to human casualties. And, of course, we want Niger to return to the constitutional track as soon as possible and continue to solve the huge tasks that stand in the way of the development of this country,” he said.