The US military withdrew all of its troops from Niger’s Air Station 101 near the airport in the capital Niamey on Sunday and is now preparing to leave a key drone station outside the desert city of Agadez in the coming weeks, Reuters reported.
After its coup in Niger last year, the country’s governing regime in April ordered the US to withdraw almost 1,000 US military troops by September.
Niger’s defense mnistry and the U.S. Department of Defense said in a joint statement, “Thanks to effective cooperation and communication between the Nigerian and American armed forces, this operation was completed ahead of schedule and without any complications.”
The focus has shifted now to withdrawing from the 100-million-dollar drone station in Agadez in central Niger, a base that has provided critical intelligence on jihadist-linked forces.
The US has until September 15 to withdraw soldiers from Niger’s territory in accordance with the military junta’s deadline.
With the governing junta having canceled a military agreement with the US, it is replacing Americans with Russian military instructors. Russia sent military training personnel to Niger in April.
On Saturday, hundreds marched through Niger’s capital demanding the expulsion of US soldiers.
The mob marched arm in arm through central Niamey, waving Nigerien flags in a rally reminiscent of the anti-French demonstrations that prompted France’s withdrawal from Niger last year after the army seized control in a coup.
Before the coup, Niger had been a crucial security partner for France and the United States, which used it as a base in international operations to combat a decade-long Islamist insurgency in West Africa’s Sahel area.
The entrance of Russians and their equipment highlights the regime’s willingness to work more closely with Moscow, which is looking to expand its influence in Africa.
Also on Saturday, Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso–the Sahel Anti-West troika–announced the signing of a new confederation treaty, “the Alliance of Sahel States” (AES). Under that treaty, the alliance will pursue common interests outside of the 15-member regional economic union, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), that has urged them to return to democratic leadership.
The AES effectively codifies the Sahel troika’s rejection of ECOWAS.
The signing coincided with an ECOWAS conference aimed at convincing the three countries to reconsider their January decision to leave the bloc.
In March, the three governments formed a unified force to address security concerns in their territory. The three countries, suffocating from terrorism, announced the establishment of an anti-terrorism force to combat extremist rebellions in their respective countries, following discussions in Niamey about providing an immediate solution to shared security challenges in the West African region.
“We have no doubt that with the joint efforts of our three countries, we will be successful in creating the conditions of joint security,” Niger’s army Chief, Moussa Salaou Barmou, said.
This joint project reflects evolving geopolitical realities, as the three countries disengage themselves from former colonial power France in favor of tighter ties with Russia.