Canada Suspends Direct Development Aid to Niger Government

The Canadian government announced on Saturday that it is suspending direct development aid to the Niger government in response to the attempted coup in the country. The Canadian government indicated in its statement that "the suspension will include Canada's direct budget support to the Niger government." Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly expressed in a statement that "Canada stands with the international community and supports the mediation efforts being undertaken by ECOWAS to restore constitutional order in Niger. The democratically elected government must be reinstated immediately." The military chiefs of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have devised a plan for military intervention and have given the coup leaders in Niger a deadline that ends today, Sunday, to reverse their coup.