By Emmanuel Nduka
Angered by the bloodless coup against elected President Mohamed Bazoum in Niger Republic, Berlin on Monday announced the suspension of its development aid and budget support to the country.
“We have suspended all direct support payments to the government of Niger,” German Foreign Ministry spokesman Sebastian Fischer told a regular press briefing in Berlin. “This morning it was decided to suspend all bilateral cooperation for development,” his colleague at the Ministry of Development, Katharina Koufen added.
While the German Government reiterated its condemnation of the coup, emphasizing that the situation there was “moving” and that the international community’s efforts were continuing to obtain “a return to democratic order”, the Ministry Spokesman added that Berlin “is in the process of examining the entire bilateral commitment in Niger” and that depending on the evolution of the coming days, will “possibly take other measures”.
Meanwhile, Germany has not planned the evacuation of its nationals from Niger, which it estimates at less than 100 for those who work neither for the embassy nor for the German army. “We are naturally prepared for a deterioration of the situation but that does not seem to be the case yet,” noted Fischer.
Currently, up to 100 German soldiers are stationed in Niger. In the capital, Niamey, there is a critical Bundeswehr air base, which is used in particular for the withdrawal of the German army from Mali, a neighbouring country.
“For the moment, since the coup, personnel at the air base have not been threatened. Their activity has been interrupted, as far as operational tasks are concerned,” said Defense Ministry spokesman Arne Collatz.
