US troops complete withdrawal from Niamey air base as junta-led Sahel states sign confederation treaty
US troops have completed their withdrawal from aerial base 01 in Niamey, after the country's military junta terminated a military cooperation deal with the US military in March 2024.
"Thanks to an efficient communication and cooperation between the two armies, this co-operation was finalized before the planned date with no complications," Niger's army chief of staff Maman Sani Kiaou stated at the end of the day, adding that the United States would be withdrawing from aerial base 202 in Agadez in August before the deadline for the removal of all military personnel until September 15.
A total of 766 American soldiers have left Niger from a total of 950, according to media reports. On July 26 2023, a military takeover ousted Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum and installed General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the leader of the presidential guard, as head of state. It marks the fifth coup in Niger since gaining independence from France in 1960, and it is the seventh military takeover to occur in West and Central Africa within three years.
Since the coup d'etat, Niger has seen huge protests against the presence of US troops, after the country's military government suspended its military agreement with the US and expelled French forces.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) had imposed sanctions on the AES countries Niger and Mali and suspended them from the bloc in addition to Burkina Faso.
Although ECOWAS leaders have held out hope for the countries' return, Niger’s General Abdourahmane Tchiani, Burkina Faso’s Captain Ibrahim Traore, and Mali’s Colonel Assimi Goit signed a new confederation agreement during a summit in Niamey on Saturday which is set to strengthen defense co-operation and the three-member Alliance of Sahel States (AES) announced last year.
(Source: AFP)
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