The U.S. military’s impending withdrawal from Niger, including the relatively new $110 million U.S. Air Base 201, will hamper their counterterrorism efforts on the continent.
Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder confirmed on Monday the two sides are “beginning” the discussions for the U.S. withdrawal, though he did not specify when the roughly 1,100 troops would depart.
The announcement wasn’t a surprise — Niger said last month it was revoking its military agreement with the United States — but it does represent the failure of the Biden administration and military leaders’ last-ditch efforts to salvage the partnership.
Niger is the latest African country to experience a military coup and end its U.S. cooperation. The U.S. relationship with Niger changed following the coup and the junta’s rise to
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