Strengthening ties with Russia as it moves away from its Western allies, Niger has deemed the presence of American troops “illegal.”
The United States says it will withdraw all its troops from Niger in the next four months or so after the West African country's military government ordered them out.
Last month, Niger asked Washington to withdraw its military personnel, who number around 1,000, calling their presence “illegal.” The military government, which took power last year, has already overseen the withdrawal of troops from France, a former colonial power and traditional security ally, while strengthening ties with Russia.
The US withdrawal has already begun, Pentagon and Nigerien defense officials confirmed in a joint statement on Sunday, and all troops will leave the country by September 15 “at the latest.”
Until last year's coup, Niger had been a key partner of the West and was involved in Washington's fight against armed groups in the Sahel.
The new agreement between Niger's Ministry of Defense and the US Department of Defense, reached after a five-day meeting, guarantees the protection of US troops until their withdrawal, according to the joint statement.
“The withdrawal of US forces from Niger does not in any way affect the continuation of US-Niger development relations. Furthermore, Niger and the United States are committed to an ongoing diplomatic dialogue to define the future of their bilateral relations,” the statement added.
U.S. troops and some equipment have already begun leaving the country, senior military officials told Reuters and The Associated Press news agencies.
The plan is to remove all lethal, dangerous or classified equipment before the last U.S. troops depart, but items deemed too expensive to fly could be left for use by the Nigerien military, the officials added.
They admitted that Niger had been an “anchor” in US counterterrorism efforts for the past decade and that they were still looking for options to fill the gap.
Hostility towards foreign forces
Niger's military rulers seized power in July 2023.
A few months later, the military government asked French forces to leave and turned to the Russian mercenary group Wagner for security help.
In October, Washington officially called the military takeover a coup, triggering U.S. laws restricting military support and aid.
Niger announced in March that it would end a military cooperation agreement with Washington, saying the presence of American soldiers was now “illegal.”
The US withdrawal order came after Washington expressed concern about Niger's “potential relations with Russia and Iran.”
The coup and the subsequent breakup of Western countries in favor of Russia follows similar measures in neighboring Burkina Faso and Mali.
Among the Nigerien public, public opinion has long been hostile to the presence of foreign forces.
In 2022, around two-thirds of Nigeriens disagreed with the government's use of foreign military forces to protect the country, according to an Afrobarometer survey.
