Don’t push us to invade Niger, US warns junta

Don’t push us to invade Niger, US warns junta

The United States of America says its troops may invade Niger if the country’s military rulers fail to return to constitutional order.

The US acting Deputy Secretary, Victoria Nuland, gave the warning in a special briefing on Niger crisis via a teleconference on Tuesday.

She however did not give any timeline for the return of the country to democratic rule.

She said, “We’ll be watching the situation. But we understand our legal responsibilities and I explained those very clearly to the guys (Niger junta) who were responsible for this and that it is not our desire to go there.

“But they may push us to that point, and we asked them to be prudent in that regard and to hear our offer to try to work with them to solve this diplomatically and return to constitutional order.”

Nuland said President Joe Biden had been in constant touch with President Bola Tinubu, the ECOWAS chairman, as well as many other European allies on the Niger issue.

“He’s also been in regular touch with President Tinubu of Nigeria, who is currently head of ECOWAS, with AU Chairperson Faki, and with a number of European allies with whom we work in Niger, particularly on counterterrorism.”