US suspends aid to Niger

Yesterday, the US suspended all non-humanitarian aid to Niger and placed travel bans on the country’s top officials, as a result of the President Mamadou Tandja’s refusal to stand down at the end of his second term, which ended yesterday. In June 2008, the President dissolved the national assembly and began to rule by decree after the assembly refused to go along with his proposal to hold a referendum on changing the constitution to allow him to extend his term in office and enhance the president’s powers. The president won the referendum in August, although the opposition boycotted it and, according to Nigerien legal experts, the referendum was not constitutional. US actions seemed to have some effect as AFP reports that the president and his allies have resumed stalled negotiations. This is the right move. I bet President Tandja is wishing Niger had oil…