FACT CHECK: Viral Post Falsely Claims Niger’s Military Said U.S. Should Keep Their Aid
A viral post shared on Instagram purports Niger’s military said the U.S. should keep their aid and “give it to their millions of homeless people.”
View this post on Instagram
Verdict: False
The claim is false. There is no evidence supporting the claim.
Fact Check:
President Joe Biden called for the release of Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum Thursday, according to ABC News. Bazoum was detained during the July 26 coup that occurred in the country, Al Jazeera reported.
“The United States of America threatens to withhold aid to Niger due to the military takeover, coup d’etat. Niger Military says they should keep their aid and give it to their millions of Homeless people in the United States of America. Charity begins at home,” the Instagram post, which has received over 20,000 likes, purports. The post includes side-by-side photos of Biden and Gen. Abdourahamane Tiani.
The claim is false, however. Check Your Fact found no credible news reports supporting the claim from African media outlets, including Africa News and Africa Times. If the claim was true, multiple African media outlets would’ve covered it, yet none have. Similarly, U.S.-based outlets such as Reuters and The Associated Press also have not reported on the claim.
In addition, the White House has neither released statements responding to the claim via its website nor its verified social media accounts. Likewise, Biden has not publicly commented on the claim via his personal or government X accounts. (RELATED: Viral Video Purporting To Show Niger’s Minister Of Finance Crying Is Misleading)
Furthermore, the claim, which was originally published in a July 29 tweet, provides no source to support its assertion.
The United States of America threatens to withhold aid to Niger due to the military takeover, coup d’état.
Niger Military says they should keep their aid and give it to their millions of Homeless people in the United States of America. Charity begins at home pic.twitter.com/2M9m3pkVVn
— Africa Archives ™ (@Africa_Archives) July 29, 2023
Although the claim is false, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S.’ economic support of Niger is dependent on the “continuation of the democratic governance and constitutional order” that had been disrupted by the recent coup during a July 29 stop in Australia, according to The Associated Press.
Check Your Fact has contacted the White House for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.
