US to withdraw 1,000+ troops from key drone host Niger

The United States has agreed to demands from Niger's junta to withdraw its more than 1,000 troops, officials said, upending the US posture in the longtime host of drones in Africa.

Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell accepted the call to remove troops on Friday in a meeting in Washington with the prime minister of the junta, which sacked the elected government last year, US officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

A source, who asked not to be identified, told the Reuters news agency that conversations will be held in the coming days about how that troop drawdown will look.

The source said there would still be diplomatic and economic relationships between the US and Niger despite this step.

The New York Times earlier on Friday reported more than 1,000 American military personnel will leave Niger in the coming months.

Last month, Niger's junta said it revoked with immediate effect a military accord that allowed military personnel and civilian staff from the US Department of Defence on its soil.

The Pentagon had said after that it was seeking clarification about the way ahead. It added the US government had "direct and frank" conversations in Niger ahead of the junta's announcement and was continuing to communicate with Niger's ruling military council.

Shifting ties towards Russia

Niger has been a home to a major US airbase, in the city of Agadez, some 920 kilometres from the capital Niamey, using it for manned and unmanned surveillance flights and other operations. The US has also invested hundreds of millions of dollars in training Niger's military since it began operations there in 2013.

The long-expected move effectively marks a new regional gain for Russia, which has ramped up its focus on Africa and backed military rulers in neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso.

Russian military instructors arrived in Niger this month with an air defense system and other equipment, state media said, after talks between military ruler General Abdourahamane Tiani and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Hundreds took to the streets of Niger's capital last week to demand the departure of US troops after the junta further shifted its strategy by ending the military accord with the United States and welcoming Russian military instructors.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Niger in March 2023 in an effort to show support and bolster president Mohamed Bazoum, a key Western ally.

But the military four months later sacked Bazoum and soon kicked out troops from former colonial power France.

Until the coup, Niger had remained a key security partner of the United States and France.

But the new authorities in Niger joined juntas in neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso in ending military deals with one-time Western allies like Washington and Paris, quitting the regional political and economic bloc ECOWAS and fostering closer ties with Moscow.

Eight coups in West and Central Africa over four years, including in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, have prompted growing concerns over democratic backsliding in the region.