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Aid, Praise For Niger Republic as U.S. Secretary Blinken Visits

Residents in the capital city of Niamey had mostly positive things to say about the first visit by a U.S. Secretary of State. Secretary Antony Blinken used the trip to announce U.S.$150 million in new humanitarian assistance to help meet needs in western and central Africa and the Sahel region, Abdoul-Razak Idrissa reports for VOA.

The U.S. will assist in making "Niger's law enforcement more effective in combating terrorism, strengthening border security, enhancing counternarcotics capacity, stemming trafficking, and helping to investigate, prosecute and ultimately reduce terrorism and violent extremism," Blinken said during a joint news conference with his Nigerien counterpart in Niamey.

Niger is on the forefront of an escalating violence and fighting in the western Sahel, Joseph Siegle, director of research at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies (ACSS) said. The country experienced a 43% increase in violent events in 2022, but fatalities decreased by half, the ACSS said.

InFocus

Michele Cattani / UNOCHA

Refugee women prepare food in a displacement site in Ouallam, in the Tillaberi region of Niger (file photo).

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