US military to start removing its forces from Niger

US officials announced on Saturday that the United States will begin withdrawing its troops from Niger. This is a setback for Washington and its friends in the area, as it will make it harder to do security missions in the Sahel region. The scheduled leaving happens as US officials are working on a new military agreement.

The leader of Niger and a US official have agreed that they will start planning for American soldiers to leave the country. The decision was made on Friday and announced by the US State Department on Saturday.

An official from the US government said they don’t know when they will leave, but they are going to start talking about what to do next soon. The official talked secretly about the private talks between countries. A group of Americans will be sent soon to work out the plan for leaving.

Niger is very important for the US military in Africa’s Sahel region, which is near the Sahara Desert. Washington is worried about the jihadi violence spreading, as local groups have sworn their support to al-Qaida and Islamic State groups. Niger has a large US air base in Agadez, which is about 920 kilometers (550 miles) away from the capital city of Niamey. The base is used for surveillance flights and other military operations. The US has spent a lot of money to train Niger’s military since they started working there in 2013.

But the relationship between Niger and Western countries has become strained since rebellious soldiers removed the country’s democratically elected president in July. Niger’s leaders told French forces to go away and asked Russia for help with security instead. This month, Russian military trainers came to help strengthen Niger’s air defenses and train them to use Russian equipment.

US officials told the AP that the US tried to change the military agreement with Niger so they could stay longer. But Zeine and Campbell’s agreement shows that the attempt did not succeed.

A high-ranking US State Department official, who didn’t want their name revealed, said that on Saturday, the leaders of Niger decided that they don’t want any foreign troops in their country, including the US. This means that their security partnership with the US is ending, at least for now. The military group told the US that Russia was in Niger to teach the Nigerien people how to use the equipment. The official said that the US was worried about some of the decisions the junta was making, especially about Russian and American troops being in the same place.

The US and its allies are not able to use air bases in Niger anymore, which is a big problem for their security operations in the Sahel region. This is because the location of the air bases was important for their strategy. Peter Pham, who used to work for the US in the Sahel region, said this.

Pham said it will be difficult to find new people quickly. He also said that European Union military might leave Niger after hearing that the US is leaving.

The broken relationship between the two countries will affect the money being given to Niger for its development and humanitarian aid. This is a problem because Niger is not doing well in many areas that measure people’s happiness and health.

Insa Garba Saidou, a local activist who helps Niger’s military leaders with their communication, told the AP that American troops may come back after talks, and that the ruling Niger group, the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland, wants to keep a good relationship with the US.

The US needs to change how it works with other countries in the Sahel region to fight against terrorism. Hannah Rae Armstrong, who knows a lot about the Sahel, says the US should also keep pushing those countries to be accountable for any human rights abuses they do.

The two leaders said Niger and the US will keep cooperating on things they both care about.