US completes withdrawal of troops from Niger Republic
The United States department of defense says it has completed the withdrawal of its forces from the Niger Republic,The US announced the withdrawal in a joint statement with Niger’s ministry of national defense on Monday.
Plans to withdraw the troops began in April, a month after the Niger military junta ended its cooperation with the US.
Amadou Abdramane, Niger military spokesperson, said the agreement between the two countries, signed in 2012, was imposed and had been in violation of the nation’s sovereignty.
Around 1,000 US military personnel were said to be based in the Sahelian country.
The US also had military bases in the landlocked country that played a key role in the US-France strategy to combat jihadists in West Africa.
However, Niger’s relationship with both France and the US turned sour last year following the coup and the West African country’s alliance with Russia.
The US department of defense said the withdrawal process began on May 19 after the mutual establishment of pull-out conditions.
The statement added that the process continued with the withdrawal of forces and assets from air base 101 in Niamey on July 7 and air base 201 in Agadez on August 5.
“Additionally, the U.S. Africa Command Coordination Element, consisting of a two-star general officer and staff, has departed from Niger,” the statement said.
“The effective cooperation and communication between U.S. and Nigerien armed forces ensured that the safe, orderly, and responsible withdrawal was completed without complications by the mutually decided date of September 15, 2024.”
The US and Niger said they recognised the sacrifices made by both nations’ forces.
