The military junta in charge of the Nigerien Government since July 2023 announced this Saturday, March 16, the end of the military agreement that allowed the presence of more than 1,000 US troops in the African country, with the aim of helping Niamey in the fight against jihadism. . Niger joins Burkina Faso and Mali as military governments in the Sahel that have turned their backs on Western powers to forge closer ties with Russia.
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“The Government of Niger, taking note of the aspirations and interests of the Nigerien people, decides with all responsibility to terminate with immediate effect the agreement regarding the status of US military personnel and civilian employees of the US Department of Defense on Nigerien territory,” said Colonel Amadou Abdramane, spokesman for the Nigerien military junta, in a televised statement this Saturday, March 16.
Abdramane also gave details regarding the decision to cut military ties with Washington, stating that this is the result of an unforeseen visit by senior representatives of the US Department of Defense to Nigerien territory.
A meeting that, according to the military spokesman, broke all diplomatic protocols, since the American delegation did not inform about its arrival, nor its itinerary within Niger.
Regarding the conversations, Abdramane revealed that Washington was reticent about the new position of the military junta on diversifying its cooperation ties with 'alternative' powers (such as Russia), criticizing the “haughty” attitude of the head of the US delegation and undersecretary. of State for African Affairs, Molly Phee.
For this reason, the Government of Niger has decided to end an “unfair and undemocratic” agreement with the United States, which was “imposed” unilaterally by the White House in 2012, as commented by Abdramane. The decision to end the Nigerien-American military relationship has “immediate effect.”
“Niger regrets the intention of the American delegation to deny the sovereign Nigerien people the right to choose their partners and types of association capable of truly helping them fight terrorism,” said Abdramane, who also denounced a “condescending attitude” in the American part.
The agreement between both nations had allowed the permanence of some 1,100 US soldiers in Niger, who operated from two bases built by Washington, from where they coordinated counterterrorism operations in the region. Niger's military junta claims that the specific details of the American stay were never revealed to it.
Alliance in the Sahel to counter “security challenges” in the region
On March 6, the Governments of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger formalized a trilateral security agreement to structure a joint force, with the aim of addressing the most important “security challenges” in the African Sahel.
The head of the Nigerien armed forces, Moussa Salaou Barmou, stated that the final political details for the alliance to be fully operational will be resolved “as soon as possible”, although he did not reveal specific information on the size of this new cross-border force, nor on its jurisdiction or possible real military capabilities.
The new agreement between the military junta of the Sahel represents another step forward to materialize a joint foreign policy that can confront threats to regional security, such as Islamic extremism, without the need to depend on the West, especially the United States and France, the traditional allies of past governments.
Until the coup d'état last July, Niger, a former French colony in West Africa, was considered a bastion of stability compared to its neighbors and France's main ally in the face of the jihadist threat in the Sahel.
The Sahel, a region that extends across North Africa as a transition area between the Sahara Desert and the Sudanese savanna, has been a central concern for Europe for a decade, especially due to the presence and action of jihadist groups. in the area known as “the three borders”: between Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
However, on September 24, following the coup d'état that overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum in July and fueled anti-French sentiment among the population, President Emmanuel Macron said that his country would end the military presence in Niger and withdraw your ambassador.
Now, the new boards have a great interest in getting closer to Russia, which is seen as an old geopolitical actor in the region that seems attractive to military governments, thanks to its pragmatism when it comes to forming ties of cooperation, without necessarily impose clauses referring to democracy or a specific form of government.
With EFE and Reuters
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