US AGREES TO WITHDRAW TROOPS FROM NIGER AMID RUSSIA’S PIVOT TO THE SAHEL REGION

Sun 21 April 2024:

The West African nation of Niger is moving more and more toward Russia and away from Western powers, and as an outcome, the US will remove its military from the country.

US media reported late on Friday that the US Department of State has decided to remove around 1,000 troops from the country that has been ruled by the military since July 2023.

Niger announced in March that it had suspended a military agreement with the US and would pursue a withdrawal of its soldiers.

The US is being forced to withdraw from Niger as it is not favoured either by the ruling military or by the population that is rejecting post-colonial forces. Protesters took to the streets in the capital earlier this month to demand the departure of US forces.

US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and Nigerien Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine met on Friday, the reports said, with Washington committing to begin planning an “orderly and responsible” withdrawal of its troops from the country.

The US built a military base in Niger to combat armed groups that pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) in the Sahel region, which also includes Burkina Faso and Mali.

The major airbase in Agadez, some 920km (572 miles) from the capital Niamey was used for manned and unmanned surveillance flights and other operations.

Known as Air Base 201, it was built at a cost of more than $100m. Since 2018, it has been used to target ISIL fighters and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM), an al-Qaeda affiliate.

While maintaining a line of communication with the military government in Niger, the US military had started preparing for the possibility of having to withdraw, with US General James Hecker saying last year that Washington is probing “several locations” elsewhere in West Africa to station its drones.

US officials are scheduled to visit Nigerien next week, according to state television. The State Department did not make a formal notification about the withdrawal, and officials said no deadline had been set.

Similar to the military regimes in Burkina Faso and neighboring Mali, the West African country had expelled French and European forces after assuming power.

With Moscow revealing earlier this month that it had provided military trainers, an air defense system, and other military equipment to Niger as it improves its security ties, all three of these countries have now looked to Moscow for support.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

______________________________________________________________

FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:

WhatsApp CHANNEL
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAtNxX8fewmiFmN7N22