The governing military junta in Niger claims to have immediately terminated a military agreement permitting US military personnel and civilian employees to be on its territory.
In Niger, where the US military maintains two sites, including airfield 201, a drone facility constructed in Agadez in central Niger at a cost above US $100 million, there were approximately 1,100 US troops as of 2023. Targeting Islamic State terrorists and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM), an al-Qaida affiliate in the Sahel, has been the base’s purpose since 2018.
The declaration by the junta comes after US officials visited this week, headed by General Michael Langley, Commander of the US Africa Command, and Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee.
On Niger television on Saturday, Col. Amadou Abdramane stated that the US delegation had not adhered to diplomatic practice and that Niger had not been notified of the delegation’s makeup, arrival date, or agenda.
The Niger junta, which also controls neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso, has expelled French and other European forces since taking over in July 2023 and has turned to Russia for assistance.
“Niger expresses regret for the American delegation’s plan to deny the sovereign Nigerien people the freedom to select the kind of partnerships and partners who can actually assist them in combating terrorism,” stated Abdramane.
“Moreover, the Niger government and people strongly object to the head of the American delegation’s patronizing demeanor toward them, along with the threat of reprisals.” Abdramane did not explicitly state that US forces ought to withdraw.
However, he contended that their position and presence were unlawful and went against democratic and constitutional norms because, he said,
Like the military dictatorships in neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso, the Niger junta has driven out French and other European forces since taking over in July 2023 and has turned to Russia for support.
He claimed that Niger was unaware of the quantity of US military and civilian people stationed there, as well as the number of weapons in use, and that the agreement did not require the US military to react to requests for assistance in fighting extremists.
“Considering everything mentioned above, the Nigeran government revokes the agreement regarding the status of American military personnel and civilian employees of the US Department of Defense on Nigeran territory, effective immediately,” Abdramane declared.
When asked for comment, the US Department of Defense did not answer right away. Hundreds of millions of dollars and years have been spent by the US in training Niger’s military, aside from the Agadez airfield.
The democratically elected president of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, was overthrown in July by some of those forces.
The military takeover was formally branded as a coup by Washington in October, leading to US legislation limiting its ability to offer Niger military assistance and support.
However in December, Phee stated that if Niger fulfilled specific requirements, the US was prepared to resume aid and security relations.
