No more terror surveillance
USA leaves last base in Niger
06.08.2024, 01:18 am
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The base in the desert state of Niger was strategically important for Washington – a lot of money went into its construction. After five years, the US military is giving up the air base. Russia and Iran also have something to do with it.
The USA has withdrawn a large part of its troops from the West African Sahel state of Niger. A farewell ceremony took place at the US Air Base 201 in the desert city of Agadez, which cost more than 100 million US dollars. From there, the USA, with around 1,000 military personnel in the country at times, has been using drones to monitor the activities of terrorist groups and human traffickers in Libya and the Sahel since 2019. The withdrawal from the country is to be completed by September 15, said Africom, the US military’s command center responsible for Africa in Stuttgart.
The military in Niger overthrew the democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum in July last year. Until the coup, Niger was considered the West’s last democratic partner in the fight against Islamist terrorism in the Sahel. After that, the country increasingly turned to Russia and Iran and urged Western countries to withdraw. Germany also wants to vacate the Bundeswehr’s air transport base on the outskirts of the capital Niamey by the end of August after negotiations on continued operation failed.
In April, the Nigerien junta terminated the military agreement with the United States. The United States had initially tried to negotiate, but then evacuated its smaller base in Niamey in July. There were reportedly disputes between Washington and the military government over Russia’s role as well as Iran’s interest in buying the nuclear fuel uranium.
Islamist terrorist groups have been spreading for years in the landlocked West African states of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. After military coups, all three states have turned to Russia, which sends mercenaries, military trainers and weapons to the countries.