The American army will withdraw its troops from Niger

Status of $110 million desert air base remains unclear as West African country deepens ties with Russia.

More than 1,000 American troops will leave Niger in the coming months, Biden administration officials announced Friday, shaking up anti-terrorism and security policy in Africa's tumultuous Sahel region.

During the second of two meetings this week in Washington, Deputy Secretary of State Kurt M. Campbell said to Niger's Prime Minister, Ali Lamine Zeine, that the United States disagreed with the country's turn toward Russia for security and Iran. for a possible deal on its uranium reserves, and the failure of Niger's military government to chart a path back to democracy, according to a senior State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss diplomatic negotiations.

The decision was not a particular surprise. Niger announced last month that it was revoking its military cooperation agreement with the United States following a series of highly contentious meetings in the Nigerien capital, Niamey, with a high-level American diplomatic and military delegation.

This decision is part of a recent trend of countries in the Sahel region, an arid zone south of the Sahara, to sever their ties with Western countries are increasingly partnering with Russia.

American diplomats have sought in recent weeks to salvage a reorganized military cooperation agreement with Niger's military government, U.S. officials said, but ultimately failed to reach a compromise.

The talks broke down in the middle of a growing wave of resentment against the American presence in Niger Thousands of demonstrators in the capital last Saturday called for the withdrawal of American armed forces personnel just days after Russia delivered its own military equipment. and its instructors to the country's army.

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