Russian intelligence has accused the US government of planning to assassinate the military junta that took over Niger in July.
The SVR, Russia’s foreign intelligence service, said in a statement on Thursday that the US was unhappy with the situation in the West African country, but did not want to intervene militarily. Instead, it was looking for proxies who could carry out covert killings of the coup leaders.
The SVR cited its sources as saying that the US was in contact with potential assassins who had been trained by the Pentagon and had access to the inner circles of the junta.
The junta, led by General Abdourahamane Tchiani, ousted President Mohamed Bazoum in a bloodless coup on July 26, 2023. The coup was condemned by the international community, including the US, France, and ECOWAS, a regional bloc that threatened to use force to restore democracy in Niger.
The SVR said that the US was resorting to “old and, as they say, time-tested solutions” after being caught off guard by the “geopolitical awakening of Africa”.
It also implied that the US was hypocritical for claiming to support democracy while plotting to kill Niger’s leaders.
The US has a history of involvement in assassination attempts against foreign leaders, especially during the Cold War. Some of the most notorious cases include Patrice Lumumba of Congo and Fidel Castro of Cuba, who were targeted by multiple CIA plots in the 1960s.
In 1976, President Gerald Ford issued an executive order banning political assassinations by US personnel or agents. The order was later modified by Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan.
The US has not officially responded to the SVR’s allegations. However, a State Department spokesperson told Reuters that the US was “deeply concerned” by the coup in Niger and urged the junta to “return power to a civilian-led transitional government as soon as possible”.
The spokesperson also said that the US was “committed to working with our African partners to advance our shared interests and values”.
