NIAMEY, Niger
Niger's junta said Saturday the U.S. military presence in the country is no longer justified, making the announcement on state television after holding high-level talks with U.S. diplomatic and military officials this week.
Niger plays a central role in
the U.S. military’s operations in Africa's Sahel region and is home to a major
airbase. The U.S. is concerned about the spread of jihadist violence in the
region, where local groups have pledged allegiance to al-Qaida and the Islamic
State extremist groups.
In reading the statement, the
junta's spokesman, Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane, stopped short of saying U.S.
forces should leave. He said Niger was suspending military cooperation with
Washington and added that U.S. flights over the country’s territory in recent
weeks were illegal.
The U.S. military in recent
years began operating a major airbase in the Niger city of Agadez, some 920
kilometers (550 miles) from the capital of Niamey, using it for manned and
unmanned surveillance flights and other operations.
The U.S. has also invested
years and hundreds of millions of dollars in training Niger's military. Some of
those forces were involved in the July overthrow of Niger's democratically
elected president, Mohammed Bazoum.
In October, Washington
officially designated the military takeover as a coup, which triggered U.S.
laws restricting the military support and aid that it can provide to Niger. But
in December, the top U.S. envoy for Africa, Molly Phee, said the U.S. was willing
to restore aid and security ties if Niger met certain conditions.
The Niger junta spokesman said
the U.S. tone was condescending and threatened Niger's sovereignty. Since the
July coup, the country has ended its security partnership with the European
Union and France has withdrawn its troops from the country.
Phee and Marine Gen. Michael
Langley, head of the U.S. military's African Command, were in Niamey this week
to meet with senior Niger government officials. Phee did not respond to emailed
requests for comment.
The U.S. military had some 650
personnel working in Niger in December, according to a White House report to
Congress.
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