U.S. hands over its last military base in Niger to the ruling junta
DAKAR, Senegal — The U.S. handed over its last military base in Niger — one of two crucial hubs for American counterterrorism operations in the country — to local authorities, the U.S. Department of Defense and Niger’s Ministry of Defense announced in a joint statement Monday.
The handing over of Airbase 201 in the city of Agadez came after U.S. troops withdrew earlier this month from Airbase 101, a small drone base in Niger’s capital of Niamey.
U.S. troops will leave the West African country by Sept. 15 under an agreement with Nigerien authorities.
About two dozen American soldiers remain in Niger, largely for administrative duties related to the withdrawal, according to Sabrina Singh, the Pentagon spokeswoman. They are at the U.S. Embassy.
In March, Niger’s ruling junta ended an agreement that allowed U.S. troops to operate in the country. A few months later, officials of the two countries announced in a joint statement that U.S. troops would complete their withdrawal by the middle of September.
Niger had been seen as one of the last nations in the restive region that Western nations could partner with to beat back growing jihadi insurgencies. The U.S. and France had more than 2,500 military personnel in the region until recently, and together with other European countries had invested hundreds of millions of dollars in military assistance and training.
In recent months Niger has pulled away from its Western partners, turning instead to Russia for security. In April, Russian military trainers arrived in Niger to reinforce the country’s air defenses.
Niger’s ouster of American troops following a coup last year has broad ramifications for the U.S. because it is forcing troops to abandon the critical base that was used for counterterrorism missions in the Sahel, a vast region south of the Sahara Desert where groups linked to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State group operate.
One of those groups, Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin, known as JNIM, is active in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger and is looking to expand into Benin and Togo.
Banchereau writes for the Associated Press.
The U.S. has officially declared the ouster of Niger’s democratically elected president a coup d’etat and suspended military aid.
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