Three Russian cargo flights arrived in Niamey within a month, bringing instructors and various military supplies. This follows the initial deployment of Russian instructors and air defense equipment in April.
The US confirmed the presence of Russian soldiers at a base previously shared with American forces. This comes after Niger denounced its military cooperation agreement with the US in March, citing its unilateral imposition by Washington. Negotiations regarding the withdrawal of the roughly 1,000 US troops are ongoing. The US also has a major drone base in Niger.
Following the coup, Niger’s military rulers, like those in neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso, demanded the departure of French forces and embraced closer ties with Russia. These countries all face ongoing jihadist violence.
An editor from a local newspaper was imprisoned for “undermining national defense” after publishing an article about alleged Russian bugging activities in government buildings.
AC/fss/abj/APA with AFP