Germany suspends collaboration, withholds financial aid to Niger

A representative of the German foreign ministry said that all direct assistance payments to the Nigerian central government will be halted until further notice

Berlin: Following last week’s military coup, Germany has become the latest Western power to suspend collaboration and withhold financial aid to Niger, reported Al Jazeera.

At a press conference, a representative of the German foreign ministry said that all direct assistance payments to the Nigerian central government will be halted until further notice.

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Jochen Flasbarth, state secretary for Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, tweeted, “We are in close contact with our partners on how to proceed,” adding that Berlin is interested in how the African Union and Economic Community of West African States respond, as per Al Jazeera.

After his soldiers detained President Mohamed Bazoum on Wednesday, General Abdourahamane Tiani, the chief of the Niger’s presidential guard, proclaimed himself the head of a transitional government.

Germany and the former French colony had begun conversations about development cooperation in 2021, and Berlin gave Niger a two-year commitment for roughly 120 million euros (USD 132.36 million).

According to Flasbarth’s ministry, this aid focussed on preserving tranquil, inclusive societies in Niger, modernising the nation’s food and agricultural systems, and strengthening health policies.

Last Monday, the European Union stopped providing Niger with any financial or security assistance, according to Al Jazeera.

“In addition to the immediate cessation of budget support, all cooperation actions in the domain of security are suspended indefinitely with immediate effect,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement on Saturday.

The EU had allocated 503 million euros (USD 554 mn) from its budget to improve governance, education and sustainable growth in Niger from 2021 to 2024, according to its website.

“Where the military seizes power with violence, it harms its country,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock tweeted last week.

Since 2018, the German military had been imparting training to Niger’s special soldiers with about 150, but that mission was completed at the end of 2022.

As part of an EU mission to assist the government in Niamey in bolstering its forces, Germany said this year that it wanted to send up to 60 soldiers to Niger, Al Jazeera reported.