US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday (March 16) vowed to broaden support for violence-ridden Sahel region in Africa beyond just security. He pitched the United States as a better partner than Russia which is seeking to broaden its footprint in the region.
Speaking to AFP on the highest-level visit ever by a US official to Niger, Blinken called for moving on from what was often seen as a military-first approach by the United States and former colonial power France, which wound up a controversial nine-year operation in Mali in November.
“We’re in the midst of building something relatively new,” Blinken said in an interview late Thursday in the capital Niamey.
“We absolutely have to have a holistic, comprehensive approach in which security is absolutely necessary but is not enough.”
“The fact that Niger, which is obviously one of the poorest countries on earth, is doing this so effectively, I think only underscores the importance of taking this comprehensive approach.”
Blinken made announcement of USD 150 million in a fresh humanitarian aid to Niger. The secretary of state highlighted US support for a programme to rehabilitate former extremists as well as a major US initiative to improve irrigation and climate-resilient agriculture
But Blinken acknowledged the desire for security ties with Niger, where the United States has stationed forces and built Air Base 201 in the desert to fly drones deep into the Sahel.
France also maintains more than 1,000 troops under a long-running anti-jihadist mission, which is being reconfigured following its pullout from neighbouring Mali.
Source: Wio News
