Canberra: The economic assistance provided by Washington to the African nation is in jeopardy due to the political instability in Niger brought on by a military coup that ousted the president this week, according to US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Saturday.

Adding Niger to the growing list of military regimes in the Sahel region of West Africa, members of the Niger military declared on Wednesday that they had overthrown democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum. On Friday, they named Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani as the new leader of the nation.

The continuation of Niger's security and economic agreements with the US depend on Bazoum's release and "the immediate restoration of the democratic order in Niger," according to Blinken, who is currently on a Pacific tour and is in Australia.

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The continuation of the democratic governance and constitutional order that have been upended by recent actions is necessary for our significant, hundreds of millions of dollar economic and security partnership with Niger, Blinken said. Therefore, that support and assistance are clearly jeopardised as a result of these actions, which is yet another reason why they must be immediately undone.

Blinken refrained from referring to the military operations in Niger as a coup, which could have cost the African nation millions of dollars in military aid and assistance.

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Blinken claimed to have spoken with President Bazoum on Saturday while speaking in Brisbane, but he gave no further details. In an effort to put an end to the unrest, he mentioned the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States, and other regional organisations.

We have made it abundantly clear to those responsible for upsetting the constitutional order and Niger's democracy that the very substantial assistance we have in place that is significantly improving the lives of the Nigerese people is clearly in jeopardy.

In addition to issuing a security alert advising US citizens in the country to limit unnecessary movements and avoid areas affected by the coup, Blinken claimed that the US Embassy in Niger had taken steps to ensure the safety of all staff members and their families.

The military group that staged the coup claimed to be the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Country and stated that its members were still dedicated to cooperating with the international and domestic community.

This is due to the poor economic and social governance, the ongoing deterioration of the security situation, and the air force colonel major Amadou Abdramane, who was speaking in the video released by the coup leaders on Wednesday. He claimed that until things calmed down, aerial and land borders were closed, and a curfew was in effect.

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In the first orderly, democratic transfer of power in Niger since its independence from France, Bazoum was chosen two years ago. In the Sahel region of Africa, where Russia and Western nations have competed for influence in the fight against extremism, Niger is viewed as the last trustworthy ally for the West in efforts to combat jihadis affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Daesh organisation. 1,500 French troops are stationed there, participating in joint operations with Niger.