AFP
Kathleen Fitzgibbons, the brand new US Ambassador to Niger, has arrived within the capital, Niamey, however won’t formally current her credentials because of the “current political crisis,” the US State Department introduced on Saturday.
Fitzgibbons’ arrival in Niger “does not reflect a change in our policy position but responds to the need for senior leadership of our mission at a challenging time,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller mentioned.
The United States has been urgent for a diplomatic decision to the disaster that erupted on July 26 when Niger navy officers seized energy, deposed President Mohamed Bazoum and positioned him underneath home arrest.
Fitzgibbons’ “diplomatic focus will be to advocate for a diplomatic solution that preserves the constitutional order in Niger and for the immediate release of President Bazoum and his family, and all those unlawfully detained,” mentioned Miller.
West Africa’s foremost regional bloc on Friday mentioned it had agreed to an undisclosed “D-Day” for a attainable navy intervention to revive democracy in Niger if diplomatic efforts fail.
Fitzgibbons is a profession diplomat who was confirmed within the put up by the US Senate in July, almost a 12 months after she was nominated.
