On August 3, 2023, supporters of Niger’s ruling military junta gathered in Niamey, Niger, to protest.
Sam Mednick/AP
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Sam Mednick/AP
On August 3, 2023, supporters of Niger’s ruling military junta gathered in Niamey, Niger, to protest.
Sam Mednick/AP
WASHINGTON – The withdrawal of U.S. troops from Niger ordered by the West African country’s ruling junta will be completed by mid-September, the Pentagon and Nigerien defense officials said Sunday.
The timetable is the result of four days of talks between defense officials from the two countries in the capital Niamey, according to a joint statement.
Niger’s decision to expel U.S. troops is a blow to U.S. military operations in the Sahel.
U.S. troops and some equipment have begun leaving the country, a senior military official and a senior defense official said in a conference call briefing reporters on Sunday. The plan is to remove all lethal, hazardous or classified equipment before the last U.S. troops leave, but those items determined to be too costly to be transported by air may be retained for Niger’s military use, officials said.
The United States will also leave behind infrastructure it has built over the years to support the approximately 1,000 troops stationed there on counterterrorism missions, officials said. Fewer than 1,000 U.S. troops are still stationed in Niger, mostly at an air base near Agadez, about 920 kilometers (550 miles) from the capital.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive details of the withdrawal.
Officials have called Niger the “backbone” of U.S. counterterrorism efforts over the past decade, and they are still considering how to fill the void. Officials said they hope to continue cooperating with Niger’s military on counterterrorism efforts in the future, even if U.S. troops are not stationed there.
Military cooperation collapsed last July after the country’s elected president was overthrown by renegade soldiers. Months later, the ruling military junta asked French troops to leave and sought security assistance from the Russian mercenary group Wagner.
Officials say there is no sign that the Wagner Group could eventually increase its influence over Niger’s military in the absence of U.S. personnel.
In October, Washington formally characterized the military takeover as a coup, triggering U.S. legal restrictions on its military support and aid to Niger.
Until recently, Washington viewed Niger as an important partner and ally in a region rocked by coups in recent years, and invested millions of dollars in the Agadez base, which is critical to U.S. counterterrorism operations in the Sahel. important. The United States has also invested hundreds of millions of dollars in training Niger’s military since operations in Niger began in 2013.
The Pentagon also said the United States would redeploy most of the approximately 100 troops currently deployed in neighboring Chad. But talks are expected to resume next month on revamping a deal that allows U.S. troops to be stationed in Chad.
