A Pentagon official on Thursday insisted that the military-led government in Niger, known as the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP), has not formally asked US troops to leave the country despite declaring the US presence is no longer legally justified.
Celeste Wallander, assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, said at a House Armed Services Committee hearing that the CNSP told the US that the agreement that allows the US to operate in the country is now null and void.
However, she also claimed that the CNSP “assured us that American military forces are protected and they will take no action that will endanger them.” Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said Tuesday that the US was seeking “clarification” from Niger and is looking to stay.
The CNSP, which took power in July 2023 after ousting former President Mohamed Bazoum in a coup, announced on Saturday that it was severing military relations with the US and that the presence of US troops was no longer justified.
The CNSP said it was taking the step because the US did not respect Niger’s sovereignty, as the announcement came after a US delegation visited the country and warned the junta over its relations with Russia and Iran.
“Niger regrets the intention of the American delegation to deny the sovereign Nigerien people the right to choose their partners and types of partnerships truly capable of helping them fight against terrorism,” CNSP spokesman Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane said. “The government of Niger forcefully denounces the condescending attitude accompanied by the threat of retaliation from the head of the American delegation.”
The US has about 650 troops and a few hundred civilian contractors in Niger. They are mostly stationed at a major drone base near the town of Agadez that cost over $100 million to build, known as Airbase 201, which serves as a hub for US operations across the region. The US has long supported Niger’s military, and according to Intercept reporter Nick Turse, at least five leaders of the coup received training from the US.
The US formally declared the ouster of Bazoum a coup, which requires the suspension of aid, but was looking for ways to cooperate with the junta to maintain its military presence. However, there are signs the US was preparing for the possibility of getting kicked out. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this year that the US was in talks with other West African states to base drones on their territory, including Benin, the Ivory Coast, and Ghana.
Having US bases in Niger comes with strings attached and security cooperation pledges and commitments. Niger gets money from having US presence in their soil and areas around those US facility benefits from the economic boost and additional security.
I’m sure the junta would love to kick the US out while keeping the goodies coming but it doesn’t work that way.
What does the US get out of this? They don’t do it for nothing.
The ability to drone murder anyone in the region that they want, plus a huge pork barrel of unaccountable “classified” spending. I doubt that there’s a toilet seat in that whole base that cost less than a grand.
The US always requires formal invitations, and then RSVPs, “sorry regrets, no can do”.
Get the message moron…! No clarification is needed…!
The bloated pig can’t move on its own. It needs to be rolled out.
Speaking for yourself. Lol
Iraq has given the US a formal request to get our military out of their country and we haven’t left.
How about a boot up uncle Sam’s arse?
How many times has the Iraqi government requested the US leave, including by overwhelming vote in the parliament? Seven? Eight? And yet they’re still there.
Well, you asked the question. Any reason not to answer it as well?
Personally, I’m aware of one time when one faction in the Iraqi parliament voted, while the other major faction was absent, to direct the prime minister to request that the US leave (the treaty requires the PM to request it; the parliament talks to him, not the US), and the PM didn’t recognize the action.
There may have been more, but I haven’t heard of any. Personally I think the US should leave whether asked to or not, but that’s just me.
US is waiting for a limousine with chilled champagne inside its cabin and an official request from the chauffeur…!
I’m reminded of an earlier instance of the US government threatening Africa about it’s relationships with certain of America’s enemies.
In fact with this country’s current administration participating in the murder-by-starvation of 4-mo old babies and the previous administration touting the real estate investment opportunities of ethnic cleansing I’m finding frequent need of a revisit to that instance where an honorable and courageous man stood up to Great Power and told it, quite diplomatically, to go f-itself:
“One of the mistakes which some political analysts make is to think that their enemies should be our enemies. That we can’t and we will never do.
“We have our own struggle which we’re conducting. We are grateful to the world for supporting our struggle but nevertheless we are an independent organization with its own policy and our attitude towards any country is determined by the attitude of that country to our struggle.
“Yasser Arafat, Colonel Gaddafi, Fidel Castro support our struggle to the hilt. There is no reason whatsoever why we should have any hesitation about hailing their commitment to human rights as they are being demanded in South Africa. Our attitude is based solely on the fact that they fully support the anti-apartheid struggle. They do not support it only in rhetoric, they are placing resources at our disposal – for us, to wage the fight.
“That is the position.” – Nelson Mandela
Thus is laughable. How many diplomatic and undiplomatic ways there are to say “leave”.
Perhaps in your ignorant world people just react to comments versus official messages via established channels.
The Yankee Empire is willing to exit a nation if, and only if, that nation fills out an official Yankee Empire Exit Form … which does not exist.
The dog ate the paperwork.