Niger, a country plagued by political instability and looming threats of terrorism, has played a major role in U.S. military operations as the home of a major air base used for manned and unmanned surveillance flights, as well as other operations. The U.S. will now withdraw more than 1,000 troops a month from the West African country after Niger’s ruling junta revoked a security agreement with Washington that allowed American military personnel on its soil. Niger’s relations with the U.S. soured last year after Mohamed Bazoum, the country’s democratically elected president, was ousted in a coup. Bazoum remains under house arrest and could be facing charges of high treason. After the coup, American soldiers remained but had their movements limited. Now, the country’s junta wants U.S. forces out. On March 15, Niger's military spokesperson Col. Amadou Abdramane said, “The U.S. presence on the territory of the Republic of Niger is illegal and violates all the constitutional and democratic rules which would require the sovereign people ... to be consulted on the installation of a foreign army on its territory.” He also said Washington accused Niger of inking a secret deal to provide uranium to Iran, a claim he dismissed as “reminiscent of the second Iraq war,” which was defined by false claims that Iraq harbored weapons of mass destruction. The announcement came just three months after French troops were expelled, as Niger continues tightening its relationship with Russia. Following the statement from Abdramane, behind-the-scenes negotiations took place in an attempt to allow American forces to remain. Discussions last week between Kurt Campbell, the deputy secretary of state, and Niger’s prime minister, Ali Lamine Zeine, failed and will result in the closure of the base, which opened in 2018 at a cost of $110 million. An unnamed U.S. military official told CBS News that the troop withdrawal is “a devastating blow, both for our regional counterterrorism efforts and to overall peace in the region going forward." The official added, “Our soldiers have worked for years building the capacity and providing training to regional forces. This is a tough blow on all levels." U.S. House Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) produced a report alleging that the Biden administration is engaging in a coverup and says the situation in Niger is more dire than officials are telling the public. “Our troops are currently sitting on a powder keg caused by political indecision at the top of the Department of State and Department of Defense. With a military junta in charge — who detests our presence and considers us unserious and predatory — the situation seems to be setting the groundwork for catastrophic diplomatic collapse like we saw during the 2012 Benghazi attack. Additionally, these troops are already running short on necessary, life-saving supplies, such as blood and medications,” the report said. “They are, in effect, hostages of an indecisive Commander-in-Chief,” the report added. Gates added during a congressional hearing, “The situation in Niger is a massive foreign policy failure and the U.S. media is refusing to report on it because they fear it will hurt Biden’s re-election efforts.” Russian military personnel have arrived in Niger with an air defense system to help Niger maintain control of its airspace.The U.S. will begin withdrawing troops from Niger, a departure that experts say is a major blow to the Biden administration and a win for Russia.
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