US orders partial evacuation of embassy in Niger

In an update to the travel advisory on the embassy's website, the State Department said on Wednesday that it "ordered the departure of non-emergency US government employees and eligible family members" from the embassy in Niger's capital city of Niamey, adding that the embassy "has temporarily reduced its personnel, suspended routine services, and is only able to provide emergency assistance to US citizens in Niger".During a press briefing earlier on Wednesday, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the embassy is and will remain open, and that the US government remains engaged with Niger diplomatically "at the highest levels," Xinhua news agency reported.Noting that Washington has been "monitoring the situation on the ground," Miller added the administration doesn't have information about the exact number of ordinary US citizens now travelling or residing in Niger, since it is belived that the vast majority of them didn't register with the embassy when entering the country.--IANSint/khz

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