Acting US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland visited Niger and met with the military that had earlier removed the president from power. He was denied a meeting with the deposed president as well as the leader of the coup.
Before leaving Niamey's capital, Nuland told reporters that the military meeting lasted more than two hours but had not convinced the rebels to call off the coup.
"These conversations were extremely honest and sometimes quite difficult. It was the first conversation where the US offered its good services if the people responsible for the coup want to return to the constitutional order," he said.
Nuland said he had met with Brigadier General Moussa Salau Barmu, appointed as the new military chief of staff, and other coup leaders. Still, requests to meet with the head of the presidential guard, Abdurahman Tchiani, who had declared himself the country's new leader, and ousted president Mohamed Bazumi were rejected. Requests for a meeting with Bazum went unanswered, although US representatives had earlier maintained telephone contact with Bazum.
