Brigadier General Moussa Salaou Barmou (US Air Force)

In an article published in The Wall Street Journal, the writer, Michael Phillips, indicated that the US considered the Nigerien army its main ally in the fight against militants in West Africa, which is why US military leaders were dismayed last month when a clique of senior military officers seized power in the country.

"What stung perhaps most sharply were televised images of one particular man, Brig. Gen. Moussa Salaou Barmou, among the coup plotters," Phillips pointed out.

According to the writer, "Barmou is a guy the U.S. military has courted for almost 30 years."

The article highlighted that "in the two weeks since Niger’s coup, Barmou has emerged as the main diplomatic channel between the U.S. and the junta."

It noted that "American officers and diplomats have his number in their cellphones and think he’s their best chance of restoring democracy and preventing a messy regional war that would plunge one of the poorest parts of the world deeper into crisis."

Phillips mentioned that a couple of days ago, Barmou met with the acting US deputy secretary of state, Victoria Nuland, in Niamey, Niger’s capital, with talks yielding no results.

However, the writer suggested that "Nuland, knowing Barmou’s long affinity for the U.S., urged him to broker a deal that would allow Niger and its longtime Western allies to get back to fighting al Qaeda, Islamic State, and Boko Haram militants and stop the country from becoming another African outpost for Russia" and the Wagner Group.

The article revealed that "until the junta promoted him to chief of defense staff, Barmou commanded Niger’s special forces," adding that his forces "worked shoulder-to-shoulder" with the US Special Forces up until the coup against President Mohamed Bazoum.

According to Phillips, US officials are trying to figure out whether Barmou has decided that he and his fellow coup leaders are "the best hope for stability in Niger, or if he is willing to help negotiate a path back to civilian rule."

The writer cited other West African security officials as saying that "Washington’s success in getting Barmou on their side will be pivotal."

Elsewhere, the article indicated that "Barmou’s American friends hope he has the political wiggle room and personal inclination to lobby for a solution that keeps Niger on Washington’s side."

It is noteworthy that Nuland told reporters during a teleconference that the US delegation dispatched to Niger made multiple requests to meet directly with Bazoum, but it was never granted.

The US delegation was also not granted an opportunity to meet with Niger's self-proclaimed President Abdourahamane Tiani, the acting US Deputy Secretary of State revealed.