The United States has completed its military withdrawal from Niger.
Effective cooperation and communication between U.S. and Nigerien forces ensured the safe, orderly and responsible drawdown was completed without complications on the agreed date of 15 September 2024, according to a memorandum seen by APA.
On September 17, the US Department of Defense and Niger’s Ministry of National Defence issued a joint statement announcing the completion of the withdrawal of US military forces and equipment from Niger.
According to the statement, the withdrawal process began on May 19 following the “mutual establishment of withdrawal conditions.”
The statement details the key stages of the operation, noting that on 7 July 2024, US forces and equipment left Air Base 101 in Niamey.
A month later, on August 5, it was the turn of Air Base 201 in Agadez to be evacuated. Finally, the coordinating element of the US Africa Command, consisting of a two-star general and his staff, also left Niger, marking the complete end of the US military presence in the country.
”The two ministries also recalled the American contribution over the past decade. US troops have trained Nigerien forces and supported joint counter-terrorism missions against the Islamic State and al-Qaeda in the region”, they said, acknowledging the sacrifices made by the armed forces of both countries.
The withdrawal marks the end of a significant US military presence in Niger, in a changing geopolitical context in the Sahel. It raises questions about the future of the fight against terrorism in the region and the new dynamics of military cooperation that could emerge.
ARD/sf/ac/lb/as/APA