The US will soon present a plan to withdraw from Niger, after being kicked out.
Niger announced on Wednesday that the United States will soon present a proposal to 'disengage', i.e. withdraw, its soldiers from the country, after the regime announced the end of a 2012 cooperation agreement with Washington.
Interior Minister General Mohamed Toumba met with US Ambassador Kathleen FitzGibbon on Wednesday to discuss the issue, his ministry said in Niamey, the capital of the West African nation.
FitzGibbon told the minister that Washington had "taken note of Niger's decision" to withdraw from the military agreement and would "return with a plan" on "methods of disengagement" of the more than 1,000 US troops based in Niger, according to the ministry statement .
In Washington, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller declined to comment on the Niger Interior Ministry's statement and said the status of U.S. troops remains "largely" the same for now.
The United States has been “in contact with transition authorities to seek clarification” on statements regarding the troops, Miller told reporters. “We've had these conversations, but I don't think it would be productive for me to read them,” he added. In diplomatic language this means that the communications were dry and final, such as "Go away!".
Known news, but now it's official
Niamey's announcement to break with the United States came on Saturday, after a three-day visit by a senior US delegation to renew contacts with the junta.
In mid-March, Niger claimed that the 2012 cooperation agreement had been "unilaterally imposed" by Washington and had already announced its intention not to confirm them
US troops have been deployed to a $100 billion desert drone base to combat jihadist violence plaguing much of West Africa. Now this base becomes not only useless, but also an instrument of a government that is certainly not favorable to Washington. This pushes the USA to try, through diplomatic means, to prolong a conflict
After General Abdourahamane Tiani seized power in a coup in July, the regime ousted troops from former colonial power France and sought to deepen military and political partnerships with Russia.
Neighbors Mali and Burkina Faso have taken similar steps and joined a joint defense pact with Niger, leaving the larger West African bloc ECOWAS.
Tiani spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday to discuss "strengthening" their security arrangements, after Moscow announced in mid-January its intention to "intensify" military cooperation.
A Russian delegation also visited Niger last December, although it does not appear there was a direct military agreement.
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The article The US will soon present a withdrawal plan from Niger, after being kicked out. comes from Economic Scenarios .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/gli-usa-presenteranno-a-breve-un-piano-di-ritiro-dal-niger-dopo-essere-stati-cacciati/ on Thu, 28 Mar 2024 14:03:25 +0000.