Washington has begun discussions with Niamey on the withdrawal from Niger of American troops deployed there as part of the anti-jihadist fight in the Sahel, the Pentagon said on Monday, April 22.
The government of Niger, resulting from a coup d’état in July 2023, denounced the military cooperation agreement in force with the United States in March, considering that the American presence was now “illegal”.
Washington finally agreed last week to withdraw its more than 1,000 soldiers from the country and announced it was sending a delegation to Niamey to agree on the details of this withdrawal. “We can confirm the start of discussions between the United States and Niger on the orderly withdrawal of American forces from the country,” Pentagon spokesperson Pat Ryder said.
A “small delegation from the Pentagon and the US military command for Africa” is participating in the discussions, he said. The United States will “continue to explore possible options to ensure that we are always able to confront potential terrorist threats,” he added.
“Continue bilateral cooperation”
In Niamey, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bakari Yaou Sangaré, announced in a press release that he had held “discussions” on Monday with the United States Ambassador in Niamey, Kathleen FitzGibbon, on “the question of the departure of American military troops of Niger”.
The interview took place in the presence of Maria Barron, director of the American Agency for International Development (USAID) in Niamey, who assured that the agency would “continue its bilateral cooperation” with Niger, announcing “a new agreement to replace the current one, which expires in September 2024,” according to the press release.
In Niger, the United States notably has a major drone base near Agadez, built for around $100 million. After the coup that overthrew the elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, at the end of July 2023, the new military regime quickly demanded the departure of soldiers from the former French colonial power and moved closer to Russia, like neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso, also ruled by military regimes and facing violence from jihadist groups.