Russian military personnel arrived at an airbase in Niger that was hosting US troops, a senior US defence official announced, according to Reuters.
Authorities in Niger ordered the US to withdraw nearly 1,000 troops from the country, which was a key partner of Washington prior to the last year’s coup. A senior US Defence Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, claimed the Russian troops were not mingling with US troops but using a separate hangar at Airbase 101, close to Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey, Niger’s capital.
The deployment of Russian forces to the country’s airbase raises questions about the future of US facilities in the country after the withdrawal. US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin downplayed the risk to US forces or the likelihood that Russian troops could approach US military hardware.
The Russians are in a separate compound and don’t have access to US forces or access to our equipment. I’m always focused on the safety and protection of our troops … But right now, I don’t see a significant issue here in terms of our force protection.
The US and its allies were forced to withdraw troops from a number of African countries following coups that brought groups, seeking to distance themselves from Western governments, to power. In addition to the impending withdrawal from Niger, US troops also left Chad in recent days, while French troops were driven out of Mali and Burkina Faso.
According to the US official, Nigerien authorities told President Joe Biden’s administration that about 60 Russian troops would be in Niger, but the official could not confirm the figure. After the change of power in the African country, the US military moved some of its forces from Airbase 101 to Airbase 201 in the city of Agadez in Niger.
The United States built Airbase 201 in central Niger at a cost of more than $100 million. Since 2018, it has been used to attack Islamic State and al Qaeda affiliate Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM) militants.
Niger’s decision to demand the withdrawal of US troops followed a meeting in Niamey in mid-March when senior US officials expressed concerns including the expected arrival of Russian troops and reports that Iran was seeking raw materials, including uranium, in the country.
While no decisions have been made about the future of US troops in Niger, the official reported that the plan was to return them to US Africa Command’s home bases in Germany.
US forces also withdrew troops from a French military base in Chad’s capital, N’Djamena, after the country demanded their departure last month, according to CNN. Over half of the US troops have reportedly already left the country and moved to Germany.
The withdrawal from Chad came after Chadian officials sent a letter to the US military attaché last month threatening to cancel the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). The agreement defines the rules and conditions under which US military personnel can operate in the country. The letter demanded that all US forces must leave the French base at N’Djamena.
Previously, Politico reported that US officials began to realise that their strategy of pressuring Niger and other war-torn African countries to cut ties with Moscow and embrace democratic norms was no longer working.
Countries across the continent, including Chad, the Central African Republic, Mali and Libya, have reportedly turned to Russia for security assistance.
Niger is interested in having Russian military specialists to train local security forces and would also like to buy weapons from Russia. This was announced by Niger’s Interior Minister Mohammed Toumba on April 24.
Our co-operation with Russia is about learning what is necessary to fight terrorism.
Reflecting growing concerns about the stability of the US economy, several countries in Africa and the Middle East began withdrawing their gold reserves from the US in recent months. Sustained inflation, rising debt levels and concerns about the Federal Reserve’s ability to maintain stable monetary policy undermined confidence in the US dollar. Moreover, geopolitical tensions and uncertainty in trade relations further heightened the fears of foreign governments.
