U.S. seeking opportunity to retain military presence in Niger Republic – Reports
Washington is trying to persuade Niger not to put a complete end to the U.S. military presence in the country, The Washington Post reported on Friday, citing U.S. officials.
Niger Republic currently hosts around 1,000 personnel and a drone base, after its transitional government declared the military outpost “illegal,”
Amadou Abdramane, a spokesman for the Nigerien military, said on Saturday that the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland had denounced “with immediate effect” an agreement that allowed U.S. military personnel and civilian Pentagon employees to operate on Niger’s soil.
He said the decision was taken in the interest of the Nigerien people.
At the moment, the situation with the U.S. military presence in the country remains uncertain, given that in spite of Abdramane’s tough remarks, Niamey has not officially launched the process to expel U.S. troops out of the country, six unnamed senior U.S, officials told the newspaper.
Abdramane’s statement was made after a visit by a high-level U.S. delegation to Niger last week.
The Nigerien military spokesman accused the delegation of a “condescending attitude accompanied by the threat of retaliation” towards Nigeriens, but The Washington Post reported, citing one of the U.S. officials, that the delegation just sought to figure out “whether these guys can be a good partner” to Washington and address the U.S.’s “values and interests.”
On July 26, 2023, Niger’s presidential guard ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, closed borders and imposed a curfew.
The guard’s commander, Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, proclaimed himself interim leader and the president of the caretaker National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland.
The Nigerien transitional government earlier announced the denunciation of military agreements with France, Niger’s former colonial master.
The withdrawal of the French military was completed at the end of December 2023.
