America Halts Some Foreign Aid Programs for Niger Government

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated on Friday that the U.S. government will halt some foreign aid programs that benefit the Niger government but will continue to provide humanitarian and food assistance. Blinken said in a statement, "As we have stated since the beginning of this situation, the provision of U.S. assistance to the Niger government depends on democratic governance and respect for constitutional order." He affirmed, "We remain committed to supporting the people of Niger in helping them maintain their hard-won democracy, and we reiterate our call for the immediate restoration of the democratically elected government of Niger." A military coup ousted the democratically elected president of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, and his government on July 26, marking the seventh military coup in Central and West Africa in less than three years.