US Completes Military Withdrawal from Niger as Deadline Met

The US military announced on Monday that it has completed the evacuation of its personnel and assets from Niger, meeting a September 15 deadline.

Its withdrawal occurred in stages, beginning in May, after Niger’s new government cancelled a military cooperation agreement with Washington.

They seized power in a coup last year, and in recent months, Niamey has distanced itself from its Western partners, instead looking to Russia for security.

The removal of almost 1,000 US military personnel is considered as a significant setback for Washington.

Prior to the coup, Niamey had been an important ally in the fight against Islamist insurgents operating in the region.

Washington, along with France and other European countries, had contributed hundreds of millions of dollars in military support and training for Niger.
The US had handed over its last military bases to local authorities last month, but roughly two dozen personnel remained, primarily to oversee the pullout.

Their departure comes amid concerns about the increasing number of extremist groups operating in West Africa.

Groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State operate in the huge region south of the Sahara desert.

One of them, Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin, or JNIM, operates in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, with plans to expand into Benin and Togo.