The U.S. troops in Niger have been ordered out by the country’s ruling junta and will complete their withdrawal by the middle of September. The decision to kick out American forces came after the country’s democratically elected president was ousted by mutinous soldiers in July. Following the president’s removal, the ruling junta asked French forces to leave and sought security assistance from the Russian mercenary group Wagner, severing ties with the U.S. military.
The rupture in military cooperation with Niger was a blow to U.S. military operations in the Sahel, a region south of the Sahara desert where groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group operate. The U.S. government officially designated the military takeover in Niger as a coup in October, triggering restrictions on military support and aid to the country. About 1,000 U.S. troops remain in Niger, mostly on an airbase near Agadez, which has been critical to U.S. counterterrorism operations in the Sahel.
Washington had considered Niger a key partner and ally in a region plagued by coups in recent years, investing millions of dollars in the Agadez base and hundreds of millions of dollars in training Niger’s military. However, the U.S. has now been forced to reevaluate its relationship with Niger following the ruling junta’s decision to expel American forces. Talks are expected to resume next month about revising an agreement that allows U.S. troops to be based in neighboring Chad as the Pentagon looks to relocate most of the approximately 100 forces it has deployed there for now.
The timeline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Niger was established after four days of talks between defense officials from both countries in Niamey, the capital of Niger. The Pentagon and Nigerien defense officials issued a joint statement confirming the planned withdrawal, which is set to be completed by mid-September. The U.S. military presence in the region has been a key component of efforts to combat terrorism and instability in the Sahel, but the expulsion of American forces by the ruling junta has disrupted these operations and forced the U.S. to reassess its strategy in the region.
The U.S. will need to find alternative ways to address security challenges in the Sahel following the withdrawal of American forces from Niger. With groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State operating in the region, the loss of U.S. military support could create a security vacuum that may be exploited by terrorist organizations. The Pentagon has indicated that it is exploring options for relocating forces from the region and revising agreements with neighboring countries to continue military operations in the Sahel. The impact of the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Niger on regional security dynamics remains to be seen, but it is clear that the move will have significant implications for U.S. military efforts in the Sahel.
