US forces in Niger are restricting their movement and assessing the situation following a military coup that overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum, NBC News reported Thursday, citing two unnamed Pentagon officials.
A group of Nigerien soldiers appeared on TV Wednesday saying that they ousted Bazoum, who was democratically elected in 2021. “The defense and security forces … have decided to put an end to the regime you are familiar with,” said Maj. Col. Amadou Abdramane, spokesman for the group that took power, which calls itself the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland.
The following day, Niger’s military released a statement saying that it supported the coup. “The military command of the Nigerien armed forces has decided to subscribe to the declaration by the Defence and Security Forces in order to avoid a deadly confrontation between the various forces,” said a statement signed by Niger’s armed forces chief of staff, Gen. Abdou Sidikou Issa.
The US condemned the military takeover and is backing Bazoum but has stopped short of formally calling it a coup as that would require cutting off aid to the country. Secretary of State Antony Blinken did warn that the US partnership with the country depends on “democratic governance and respect for the rule of law.”
The US has a significant military presence in Niger, with at least 1,016 troops in the country. The US constructed a major drone base in Niger, Air Base 201, which houses armed MQ-9 Reaper drones and supports US counterterrorism operations across Africa.
The US counterterrorism mission in Africa has been a complete failure. Writing for The Intercept, journalist Nick Turse explained that in 2002 and 2003, the first years of US counterterrorism assistance to Niger, the State Department counted just nine terrorist attacks in all of Africa.
“Last year, the number of violent events in Burkina Faso, Mali, and western Niger alone reached 2,737, according to a report by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, a Defense Department research institution. This represents a jump of more than 30,000 percent since the US began its counterterrorism efforts,” Turse wrote.
Turse noted at least 10 coups launched in West Africa since 2008 were led by US-trained soldiers, including in Burkina Faso, Mali, Gambia, Guinea, and Mauritania. He said it wasn’t immediately clear if the soldiers who took power in Niger have received US training.
Details of the 2021 American coup in Guinea:
The question is who promoted this coup?
American troops everywhere any time. The question is WTF are troops doing in Africa besides stealing oil and raw materials raping another country.
Don’t send troops, or if there are troops there, get them out of there!!!!
Too much money to be made in forever wars. It’s all about MONEY, Marx was right about that one.
The US has a significant military presence in Niger, with at least 1,016 troops in the country. The US constructed a major drone base in Niger, Air Base 201, which houses armed MQ-9 Reaper drones and supports US counterterrorism operations across Africa.
uncle sam named the air base in Niger “Air Base #201”
you can’t make this sh*t up.
surprise! = Niger has proven oil reserves equivalent to 34.2 times its annual consumption.
(not a) surprise! = Syria has proven oil reserves equivalent to 48.9 times its annual consumption.
and here we go! = Venezuela has more proved oil reserves than any other country in the world. oh what ever happened to poor Senior Guaido ?
Don’t forget their Uranium.
Everything old is new again. The great John Flynn eight decades ago:
“The enemy aggressor is always pursuing a course of larceny, murder, rapine, and barbarism. We are always moving forward with high mission, a destiny imposed by the deity to regenerate our victims while incidentally capturing their markets, to civilize savage and senile and paranoidal peoples while blundering accidentally into their oil wells or metal mines.”
John T. Flynn
Your comment is poetic
And, oil is the glue that keeps both parties together on that issue, isn’t it?
Wash. is just finding another miserable place to send our troops to fight another useless war for war industry profits. Like this is any business of the American people? Just more billions to waste on another failed state, it’s the American Way.