Niger junta has revoked a military accord that previously allowed the U.S. to place military personnel and civilian staff on its soil. This shocking development comes after a three-day visit by Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Celeste Wallander, and AFRICOM Commander General Michael Langley, to hold conversations with the newly in power Niger junta regarding democratic efforts and the partnership between the U.S. and Niger on March 12th, 2024.
This decision was put forward by the junta spokesperson Colonel Amadou Abdramane on television, who claimed that the U.S. delegation breached diplomatic protocol because Niger was not informed about the composition of a U.S. delegation, the date of its arrival, and the agenda.
“Niger regrets the intention of the American delegation to deny the sovereign Nigerien people the right to choose their partners and types of partnerships capable of truly helping them fight against terrorism,” Abdramane said. “Also, the government of Niger forcefully denounces the condescending attitude accompanied by the threat of retaliation from the head of the American delegation towards the Nigerien government and people,” he added. According to a report by the news agency Reuters, an anonymous U.S. official acknowledged that senior U.S. officials had “frank discussions” in Niamey earlier this week about the trajectory of Niger’s ruling military council, or the C.N.S.P. He claimed that “we are in touch with the C.N.S.P. and will provide further updates as warranted.”
The decision by Niger’s junta to revoke the military accord imposes significant obstacles for the U.S.’ counter-terrorism missions. There were more than 1,000 U.S. troops stationed in Niger in 2023, and most of them were located at Air Base 201 in the Nigerien city of Agadez – which cost $110 million to build. The U.S. is enabled to conduct counter-terrorism initiatives supported by the base’s strategic location at the edge of the Sahara Desert, which is not only close to conflict zones but also provides an advantageous vantage point for monitoring terrorist activities. For now, the U.S. had suspended all missions from the base due to the recent political upheaval in Niger following the July 2023 coup.
The U.S. has yet to withdraw its military personnel from Niger and government officials are actively trying to continue conducting diplomatic conversations with Nigerien officials. But the implications of Niger’s decision remain uncertain. This could mean dire consequences for regional democratic and anti-terrorism initiatives as well as the risk of severing the U.S.’s diplomatic partnership with Niger for future operations. Moving forward, the U.S. will have to carefully navigate the volatile political environment currently present in Niger.
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