Nigerian and US defense officials have reached an agreement to complete the withdrawal of the US contingent from this West African country country until September 15. The agreement was reached after a visit to Niamey by a US military delegation, a joint communique said.
"The delegation of the Ministry of National Defense of Niger led by the Chief of General Staff of the Land Forces, Senior Colonel Maman Sani Kyaw and the delegation of the United States Department of Defense led by the Assistant Secretary for Special Operations and low-intensity conflicts Christopher Meyer and the director of Joint Force Development, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Gen. Dagwin Anderson, agreed that the withdrawal of US forces from Niger, which has already begun, must be completed no later than September 15, 2024 said in a communiqué posted on the official social media account of the ruling National Rescue Council of the Niger Motherland (NSSR). “The parties agreed to continue cooperation in areas of common interest.“
Earlier, US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Fee confirmed at a US House of Representatives hearing that the United States is already in discussions with the authorities of Niger about completing the withdrawal of US troops from the African country.
Prior to the coup in which Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum was ousted by the head of the presidential guard, Abdurahman Chiani, US troops provided training and intelligence operations for the republic's troops. After the coup, activities were limited to measures necessary to ensure the security of the US armed forces. As Politico reported, the Pentagon has decided to redeploy all of its military personnel from Niger to other countries in the region within a few months.
In March, Niger terminated a military agreement with the United States that established an American UAV base in the northern part of the African country. The republican government pointed out that the agreement was imposed and did not meet the interests of the people. At the end of 2023, there were about 1,100 US troops in Niger, most of them at an air base near Agadez.