US to pull 1,000 troops from Niger
The US is set to pull around 1,000 troops out of Niger as the nation increasingly turns away from western powers and towards Russia. The move comes after mass, anti-US protests erupted in Niger on April 13th and after the military juntas of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso similarly forced French and other European forces to withdraw in late 2023.
The US state department agreed on April 19th to withdraw around 1,000 troops currently stationed in the country on counter-terror operations.
Washington committed to begin planning an “orderly and responsible” withdrawal of US troops after Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell met Niger’s Prime Minister, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine on April 13th, according to Reuters.
The US’s airbase in Agadez, some 920km (572 miles) from Niger’s capital Niamey, cost over $100m to build and has been used to target Islamic State (IS) and al-Qaeda aligned militants since 2018.
Washington had started probing “several locations” elsewhere in West Africa to station its drones in late 2023, according to General James Heckler, after the expulsion of around 1,500 French troops from the country.
READ: Niger: French troops start withdrawal
Nigerien state television reported that US officials would visit in the coming week, although Washington has not yet given comment as to its withdrawal nor any planned meetings with the Niamey administration.
Having expelled French and other European forces in 2023, the allied military juntas of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso have turned to Russia for support. Nigerien media and Moscow confirmed the delivery of military instructors, air defence systems, and other military equipment on April 11th.
READ: Russian military instructors land in Niger
As-well-as armed Islamist insurgencies, the conflict-ridden Sahel region is also becoming a drug trafficking hub. The UN claim that 1,466kg (3,232 pounds) of cocaine were seized in Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso, and Niger in 2022, compared with an average of just 13kg (28.7 pounds) per year between 2013 and 2020, according to AP.
Reuters / AP
