Thu 27 July 2023:
The United States is not aware that the private military company Wagner Group is involved in the mutiny in Niger, US State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters on Thursday.
“I am not aware of any indications that the Wagner Group could be involved,” Patel said when asked whether the US government have seen any signs that the Wagner Group may be involved.
Patel said the situation in Niger continues to be fluid and he would not speculate on this topic.
On Wednesday, members of the Nigerien presidential guard blocked President Mohamed Bazoum inside the presidential palace, closed the country’s borders and imposed a nationwide curfew.
Wagner Group may seek to expand in Niger: Analyst
Flavien Baumgartner, an Africa analyst at Dragonfly, a security and political risk consultancy, said if that if Mohamed Bazoum resigns from the presidency, Niger will probably move to the top of the list of countries where the Wagner Group of mercenaries will seek to expand.
Wagner already had its sights set on Niger, in part because it’s a large producer of uranium sought after by Russia. But Bazoum posed an impediment because of his pro-French and pro-Western stance, said Baumgartner.
Wagner’s head, Yevgeny Prigozhin, described the developments as part of Niger’s fight against the “colonisers”.
His comments came as several hundred people gathered in Niamey and chanted support for Wagner while waving Russian flags.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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