Germany announced on Monday the suspension of its development assistance and financial support to Niger following the military coup against the elected President Mohamed Bazoum.
Coming on the heels of a similar move announced by France on Saturday, the spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry, Sebastian Fischer, declared during a routine press conference in Berlin, “We have suspended all direct payments in support of the Niger government.”
Spokesperson for the Development Ministry, Katarina Kofen, also stated, “A decision was made this morning (Monday) to suspend any bilateral cooperation in the area of development.”
No Plans for Evacuation
A spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry also mentioned that the government does not currently plan to evacuate its citizens or soldiers from Niger based on the current assessment of the situation there.
“The situation in Niger is constantly changing, and there is no intention to evacuate nationals at this stage,” remarked a Foreign Ministry spokesperson. He added that the German government is on standby in case of an escalation in the West African state.
The situation remains unclear in Niamey, where the coup leaders, led by Colonel Major Amadou Abdurrahman, announced the suspension of institutions and the closure of the country’s borders.
Following Mali and Burkina Faso, Niger has become the third country in the Sahel region to experience a coup since 2020, as it is undermined by attacks from groups linked to ISIS and Al-Qaeda.
