After the African Sahel nations suddenly and rapidly kicked the French colonial power out, it does appear that the US troops and diplomatic influence may be heading the same way.
Spokesman for the Niger military junta, Major Amadou Abdramane, stated clearly, with no margin for interpretation: ‘The American bases and civilian personnel cannot stay on Nigerien soil any longer.’
The US was left scrambled on Sunday to assess the future of its counterterrorism operations in the Sahel.
The American military has hundreds of troops stationed at a major airbase in northern Niger.
The group flies over the Sahel region — south of the Sahara Desert — in search of jihadi groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State.
Associated Press reported:
“Top U.S. envoy Molly Phee returned to the capital, Niamey, this week to meet with senior government officials, accompanied by Marine Gen. Michael Langley, head of the U.S. military’s African Command. She had previously visited in December, while acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland traveled to the country in August.”
According to State Department, talks were frank, but it does not seem that it has any leeway left to negotiate a deal to stay in the country.
“Niger had been seen as one of the last nations in the restive region that Western nations could partner with to beat back growing jihadi insurgencies. The U.S. and France had more than 2,500 military personnel in the region until recently, and together with other European countries had invested hundreds of millions of dollars in military assistance and training.”
In July, military forces ousted the country’s president and, mere months later, told French forces to leave.
“The U.S. military still had some 650 personnel working in Niger in December, according to a White House report to Congress. The Niger base is used for both manned and unmanned surveillance operations. In the Sahel the U.S. also supports ground troops, including accompanying them on missions. However, such accompanied missions have been scaled back since U.S. troops were killed in a joint operation in Niger in 2017.
It’s unclear what prompted the junta’s decision to suspend military ties. On Saturday, the junta’s spokesperson, Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane, said U.S. flights over Niger’s territory in recent weeks were illegal. Meanwhile, Insa Garba Saidou, a local activist who assists Niger’s military rulers with their communications, criticized U.S. efforts to force the junta to pick between strategic partners.”
Neighboring Sahel nations Mali and Burkina Faso have turned to Moscow for security support.
In Niger, the military also turned to the Russian mercenary group Wagner for help.
“Cameron Hudson, who served with the Central Intelligence Agency and State Department in Africa, said the incident shows the diminution of U.S. leverage in the region and that Niger was angered by Washington’s attempt to pressure the junta to steer clear of Russia. ‘This is ironic since one mantra of the Biden Administration has been that Africans are free to choose their partners’, he said.”
Major Amadou Abdramane, speaking on state television, said junta leaders met the U.S. delegation only out of courtesy and described their tone as condescending.
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