U.S. orders partial evacuation of embassy in Niger

WASHINGTON, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. State Department on Wednesday ordered a partial evacuation of the U.S. embassy in Niger, citing the unstable situation in the west African country following a recent coup.

In an update to the travel advisory on the embassy's website, the State Department said it "ordered the departure of non-emergency U.S. 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 U.S. citizens in Niger."

During a press briefing earlier in the day, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the embassy is and will remain open, and that the U.S. government remains engaged with Niger diplomatically "at the highest levels."

Noting that Washington has been "monitoring the situation on the ground," Miller said the administration doesn't have information about the exact number of ordinary U.S. citizens now traveling or residing in Niger, since it is belived that the vast majority of them didn't register with the embassy when entering the country.