The US Secretary of State’s First Visit to Niger Was Greeted Positively

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Niger promising humanitarian assistance to refugees and support for the country’s efforts to combat violent extremism.

A number of residents in the capital city of Niamey interviewed by VOA, mostly expressed positive things about the US secretary of state’s first visit to Niger.

“We see how right now the US military forces, who are in the Niger territory, are training defense and security forces,” a woman in Niamey told VOA. But he said the cooperation should not be limited to security issues.

“There are several opportunities for cooperation in terms of climate change. There is also the issue of clean water, there are many things,” he continued.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, shakes hands with Nigerian President Mohamed Bazoum during their meeting at the presidential palace in Niamey, Niger, Thursday, March 16, 2023. (Photo: via AP)

Blinken used the visit to announce $150 million in new humanitarian aid to help meet needs in the West, Central and Sahel Africa region, caused by instability there.

Beyond direct assistance to refugees and other vulnerable groups, the US is committed to investing in long-term stability in the region, Blinken said.

The US will assist in achieving “more effective enforcement of Niger laws in combating terrorism, strengthening border security, enhancing counternarcotics capabilities, combating human trafficking, and assisting in investigating, prosecuting and ultimately reducing terrorism and violent extremism,” Blinken said in a joint news conference with his counterpart from Niger in Niamey.

The US has military personnel stationed at two air force bases in the country and has assisted Niger’s armed forces with training, donating equipment, and support for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance to combat violent extremism.

Another Niamey resident VOA interviewed said donations of military equipment were helpful, but urged political leaders to be careful.

“Our leaders should have been more vigilant with regard to clauses in contracts signed with powerful countries because, in reality, they have no friends,” he said. “They are only pursuing their interests. Some may be more greedy, more narrow-minded than others, but we have an obligation to the younger generation, as civil society to ask leaders to be very vigilant.”

One other person interviewed said he could see the impact of US involvement in the security situation. “On the Niger-American relationship, these are plain and clear and they are helping us,” he told VOA. “On the issue of insecurity and all that, this is really the case, we value the relationship between the US and Niger.”

Niger has been at the forefront of escalating violence and fighting in the Sahel, said Joseph Siegle, director of research at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies (ACSS). The country saw a 43% increase in violence in 2022, but the death toll halved, said the ACSS. [uh/ab]