Niger Coup: Germany Backs EU’s Sanctions Against Junta

The German Foreign Affairs ministry has expressed its support for the European Union’s sanctions against the military junta in Niger Republic.

EU foreign ministers are expected to discuss the Niger situation, including sanctions, at a meeting in Toledo, Spain, on August 31, 2023.

The EU, one of the biggest providers of aid to Niger, said last month it was suspending security cooperation and financial support that had been set at EUR 503 million in 2021-2024 to help improve governance and education.

In comments posted to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, the foreign ministry on Thursday said its Minister Annalena Baerbock has held talks with African Union Chair, Moussa Mahamat, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and other stakeholders about the coup in Niger.

The tweet stated Baerbock had held the talks with “the goal of re-establishing constitutional order” in Niger.

During a visit to Abuja, German development minister Svenja Schulze also met with representatives of the West African bloc ECOWAS, the ministry said.

“After the suspension of development cooperation and security cooperation, we in the EU now want to introduce sanctions against the putschists,” it added.

Niger military officers ousted President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26 and have defied calls from the United Nations, ECOWAS, and Western powers to reinstate him, triggering West African heads of state to order the standby force to be assembled.

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