A senior US
official has held face-to-face talks with Niger's military leaders following
last month's coup.
Acting Deputy
Secretary of State Victoria Nuland said the conversations had been
"extremely frank and at times quite difficult".
Washington has
said the coup can still be ended diplomatically and President Mohamed Bazoum
reinstated, but has suspended aid payments in the meantime.
West African
countries are set to meet on Thursday to discuss the crisis.
Ecowas - a
trading bloc of 15 West African states - had issued a 23:00 GMT Sunday deadline
to Niger's junta leaders to stand down and restore the elected president.
The coup leaders
responded to a threat of military action from the bloc by closing Niger's
airspace.
Speaking to
reporters from capital Niamey, Ms Nuland said that, in talks lasting more than
two hours, the US had offered its help "if there is a desire on the part
of the people who are responsible for this to return to the constitutional
order".
"I would
not say that we were in any way taken up on that offer," she said.
Ms Nuland said
she had met the new military chief of staff, Brigadier General Moussa Salaou
Barmou, but not with Niger's self-proclaimed new leader, General Abdourahamane
Tchiani, or with Mr Bazoum.
Mr Bazoum
remains in detention but has previously spoken to US officials by phone.
Ms Nuland said
she also raised concerns over claims the coup leaders had asked Russia's Wagner
mercenary group for help in maintaining control of the country.
"The people
who have taken this action here understand very well the risks to their
sovereignty when Wagner is invited in," she said.
Gen Tchiani, a
former chief of the presidential guard to Mr Bazoum, seized power on 26 July,
saying he wanted to avert "the gradual and inevitable demise" of
Niger.
The growing
instability in the region compelled former colonial power France on Monday to
warn its citizens against travelling to the Sahel region, and for those still
there to be cautious due to anti-France sentiment.
"It is
essential to limit travel, to stay away from any gatherings and to keep
themselves regularly informed of the situation," read a statement from the
foreign ministry.
The junta in
Niger on Sunday said it had information that "a foreign power" was
preparing to attack the country, following reports that military chiefs from
Ecowas had drawn up a detailed plan for use of force.
Earlier,
Abdel-Fatau Musah, Ecowas' commissioner for political affairs, peace and
security, said that while "all the elements" had been worked out
about an "eventual intervention", the body wanted "diplomacy to
work".
Over the weekend
Nigeria's Senate discussed the situation in Niger after President Bola Tinubu
wrote to it about the Ecowas resolutions imposing sanctions and the possible
use of military force.
Local media
report there was strong opposition to military intervention, especially from
senators representing states near the long border the two countries share.
President Tinubu
has been especially vocal in demanding that the Niger military leave power and
has threatened to use force if they do not - but he needs approval from the
National Assembly for any foreign military intervention.
Niger is a
significant uranium producer - a fuel that is vital for nuclear power - and
under Mr Bazoum was a key Western ally in the fight against Islamist militants
in West Africa's Sahel region.
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