0
0
US to withdraw military personnel from Niger, sources say:
The United States has decided to remove all its soldiers from the country of Niger in West Africa. There was an agreement made between a high-ranking U.S. official named Kurt Campbell and the leaders of Niger.
Last year, there were a little over 1,000 U.S. soldiers stationed in Niger. The U.S. military was operating out of two bases in Niger, including an air base near the city of Agadez that was built for drones (unmanned aircraft) at a cost of over $100 million.
the U.S. is pulling out all its troops that were previously based in Niger after reaching an understanding with the government of that country.
Main motive:
Since 2018, the U.S. military base in Niger has been used to attack and go after Islamic extremist groups in that region of Africa called the Sahel.
Specifically, the base targeted two dangerous militant groups:
The Islamic State (a terrorist organization) An al-Qaeda-affiliated group called Jama ‘at Nusrat al-Islam Wall Muslimeen. So, the main purpose of the U.S. base in Niger for the past few years was to carry out operations against Islamic terrorist and extremist groups operating in the Sahel region of Africa.
Niger used to be an important partner for the United States and France when it came to security and military matters.
However, the new leaders in Niger have joined with the military rulers in the neighboring countries of Mali and Burkina Faso. They have ended their military agreements with former Western allies like the United States and France.
Niger has also left the regional organisation called ECOWAS, which is a political and economic group of West African countries.
Instead of working with Western countries, the new authorities in Niger are developing closer ties with Russia.
In the next few days, there will be discussions about how the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Niger will happen. This information came from a source who did not want to be named publicly.
However, the same source said that even though the U.S. troops are leaving, the United States and Niger will still maintain diplomatic and economic ties with each other. Detailed plans on how the U.S. troops will be pulled out of Niger will be worked out over the coming days, according to an unnamed source.
But the source also stated that despite the troop withdrawal, the U.S. and Niger will continue to have relationships in areas like diplomacy (dealing with each other as nations) and economic/trade matters.
The New York Times newspaper reported earlier on Friday that more than 1,000 American soldiers will leave the country of Niger in the coming months.
Last month, the new military rulers in Niger announced that they had immediately cancelled a previous agreement that allowed U.S. military personnel and civilian staff from the U.S. Department of Defiance to be stationed in their country.
So, the withdrawal of over 1,000 U.S. troops is happening after Niger’s current rulers revoked the agreement that previously enabled the American military presence there.
After Niger cancelled the agreement allowing U.S. military presence, the Pentagon (the U.S. Defiance Department) said it was trying to get clarification and understand what this meant for the future.
The Pentagon added that before Niger’s announcement, the U.S. government had direct and honest conversations with authorities in Niger. And the U.S. continues to communicate with Niger’s current military rulers.
Last week, hundreds of people took to the streets of Niger’s capital city to demand and call for the departure of U.S. troops from their country.
This happened after Niger’s new military leaders took two major steps:
They ended the military agreement with the United States They welcomed Russian military instructors and trainers into Niger.
Democracy Threatened: Military Coups in West & Central Africa”
There have been 8 military coups (where the army takes over the government by force) in West and Central African countries over the last 4 years. These coups happened in countries like Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.
These frequent military takeovers of elected governments in the region are causing increasing worries that democracy is weakening and declining in West and Central Africa. So, the recurring pattern of militaries overthrowing governments is seen as a threat to democracy taking root in parts of West and Central Africa.
Read More: Taylor Swift complicated embrace of tortured poet:
Read More: Coachella: A Melting Pot of Musical Diversity
Conclusion:
the main conclusion is that the U.S. is withdrawing its troops from Niger due to the new junta’s pivot towards Russia and away from Western military cooperation, amid a broader pattern of democratic decline through coups in parts of West and Central Africa.
Read More: Importance of health in human life
Average Rating