Guernsey Press

US hands over its last military base in Niger to the ruling junta

The withdrawal comes after Niger’s junta terminated an agreement that allowed US troops to operate in the West African country in March.

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The US handed over its last military base in Niger to local authorities, the US Department of Defence and Niger’s Ministry of Defence announced in a joint statement on Monday.

The handing over of Airbase 201 in the city of Agadez came after US troops withdrew earlier this month from Airbase 101, a small drone base in Niger’s capital of Niamey.

US troops have until September 15 to leave the Sahel country following an agreement with Nigerien authorities.

There are about two dozen American soldiers who remain in Niger, largely for administrative duties related to the withdrawal, according to Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh. They are located at the US embassy.

In March, the Niger junta ended an agreement that allowed US troops to operate in the West African country.

Niger Base
US and Niger military personnel at the base in Agadez (Omar Hama/AP)

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 US 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 recent months Niger has pulled away from its western partners, turning instead to Russia for security.

In April, Russian military trainers arrived in Niger to reinforce the country’s air defences.

Niger Base
A US Air Force plane takes off from the nation’s last military base in Niger (Omar Hama/AP)

The vast savanna, found south of the Sahara desert, is where groups linked to al Qaeda and the Islamic State group often operate.

One of those groups, Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin, known as JNIM, is active in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger and is looking to expand into Benin and Togo.

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