US President Joe Biden has commended Nigerian President Bola Tinubu for his “strong leadership” in handling the crisis triggered by the coup in Niger Republic.

Biden applauded Tinubu’s response to the coup, which saw the democratically-elected government of Mohamed Bazoum overthrown by the Niger military.

Biden also acknowledged the steps taken by the Tinubu administration to reform Nigeria’s economy, saying that the country’s invitation to the G20 Summit was a “recognition of Nigeria’s important global role as Africa’s largest democracy and economy.”

Tinubu is the chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Immediately after the coup, he called for the immediate restoration of democracy in the country and has imposed sanctions on the military junta.

The coup in Niger Republic is the latest in a series of military takeovers in West Africa. In recent years, there have been coups in Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso, and the latest one in Gabon.