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CNN
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America’s key partner in northwest Africa is turning to Russia amid warnings from the continent’s top US commander that Russia is seeking to “take over” the entire Sahel region of Africa.
Niger has been a key hub for U.S. counterterrorism operations in the region for nearly a decade, but on Saturday it announced it was ending an agreement that has allowed U.S. military and civilian personnel to operate in the country since 2014.
The announcement comes amid tensions between Niger’s military junta, which seized power in a July 2023 coup, and U.S. diplomatic and military officials, including U.S. Africa Command commander Gen. Michael Langley and Assistant Secretary of Defense Celeste Wallander. This was held a few days after the meeting. Defense officials spoke to CNN about international security issues. At the meeting, the U.S. delegation expressed concerns about the growing Russian military presence in Niger, particularly the future of the 101st Air Force Base in Niger’s capital and whether it would be transferred to Russia, officials said.
The argument angered junta leaders and felt lectured, even though the United States cut off much of its military and foreign aid to Niger late last year after the coup.
“When it comes to choosing diplomatic, strategic and military partners, the Nigerien government seeks to deny the sovereign people of Niger the right to choose the partners and types of partnerships that it believes will truly help fight terrorism. “We deplore the intention of the US delegation to He added that the group had a “condescending attitude.” Towards Nigerians.
Increasing military cooperation between Russia and Niger is at the heart of the conflict between the United States and Niger’s military regime, officials said. At the time, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that Russia and Niger had agreed to strengthen military ties in January.
Still, after the coup, U.S. counterterrorism operations and training with the Nigerian military all but stopped, but even after expelling French troops and severing remaining ties with the European Union at the end of 2023, the junta has pushed for the U.S. to leave. There wasn’t.
Several military regime leaders have long worked with and received training from the United States as part of its security cooperation. And the Pentagon is keen to maintain a military presence in the country, which many administration officials believe is essential to counterterrorism in the region, even amid political turmoil in the region. claims it is possible.
But now U.S. military officials are concerned that Russia’s growing presence in Niger means the Kremlin is gaining a new foothold in the Sahel, and that Western powers are losing influence. said a military official familiar with the situation.
Africa Command chief Langley told lawmakers this month that the United States has been “drowned out” by Russian disinformation across Africa in recent years, which has allowed Russia to stoke “instability across the Sahel.” said.
He added that both Russia and China “want that position.” They want power projection capabilities. …but I think this [an] The pace is accelerating and the Russian Federation is actually attempting to occupy not only the Sahel but also Central Africa. ”
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Saturday that the United States remains in contact with the military regime, which calls itself the National Council for the Defense of the Homeland (CNSP).
“We are aware of the statement issued by the CNSP in Niger following a frank discussion at a senior level in Niamey this week about our concerns about the CNSP’s trajectory,” Miller said in a statement. “We are in contact with the CNSP and will provide further updates as required.”
It is not yet clear whether Niger’s military government will actually force U.S. troops to leave the country. Since 2014, the U.S. military has been conducting counter-terrorism operations in the country and training the Nigerian military.
If the U.S. is forced to withdraw, counterterrorism efforts across the region could be hurt, officials said. A US drone flies from the air base in Agadez. Niger allows the United States to monitor threats in the Sahel region from a relatively close and stable location, especially as violent terrorist organizations increase the number of attacks in neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso.
Officials also said the withdrawal of about 650 U.S. troops from Niger would create a vacuum that Islamic extremists, including remnants of the Wagner Group, and Russian mercenaries could try to take advantage of. Are concerned.
As relations between the United States and Nigeria deteriorate, Russia continues to keep an eye on Niger. In December, the Kremlin reopened his embassy in neighboring Burkina Faso, located near Niger’s capital, and is ramping up its outreach to Niger’s military junta, a senior intelligence official told CNN.
One of the attractions for Niger is that Russia can offer to sell its arms and equipment without the same conditions of respect for human rights and compliance with international law that the United States demands, the official said. And as a country seeking immediate supplies of military equipment, Russia can sell weapons much faster than the United States. In return, Russia benefits from the region’s natural resources, including Niger’s gold mines, another official said.
Niger’s military spokesman Abdullahmane said on Saturday that Russia was “a partner with which Niger trades on a state-to-state basis in order to obtain the necessary military equipment for the fight against Niger, in accordance with the military cooperation agreement signed with the previous government.” said. Terrorists who murdered thousands of innocent Nigerian victims under the indifferent watch of most of the international community. ”
Relations between the United States and Nigeria rapidly deteriorated. Late last year, the United States believed the junta was in a “better position” and refocused its efforts on countering the rise of violent extremist groups in West Africa, according to a senior intelligence official. The groups include ISIS-Sahel and Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslim, commonly known as JNIM, a radical Islamist organization active in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.
After the Niger coup, the reduction of U.S. surveillance missions in the region gave ISIS-Sahel and JNIM an opportunity to expand, officials said. But even as cooperation between the U.S. and Niger diminished, the U.S. military’s goal of providing support to counter the spread of extremist groups remained the same. Several European countries shared this goal and provided some support to the junta, officials noted.
However, as Russia increases pressure and the U.S. law restricts what it can provide to Niger because of the coup designation, Niger’s government is cracking down even harder on the remaining Western military presence in the country. , the official said. Despite Russia’s increasingly prominent presence in the country, US operations in the country require closer oversight and approval on the part of Nigeria.
“Northwest Africa is being divided into more than six countries in real time, and the United States is losing its footing,” one of the officials said.
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