Latest Niger News
US troops, equipment will depart from Niger by mid-September, the Pentagon says
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. troops ordered out of Niger by the West African country's ruling junta will complete their withdrawal by the middle of September, the Pentagon and Nigerien defense officials said Sunday. The timeline was the product of four days of talks between the...
Russian trainers move to a Niger airbase where some US troops remain
WASHINGTON (AP) — Russia has moved some troops onto an airbase in Niger where a small number of U.S. forces remain, but Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he doesn't see it as a significant issue. Most American troops left that base in the nation's capital, Niamey, a U.S. official said. ...
US to pull troops from Chad and Niger as the African nations question its counterterrorism role
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States will pull the majority of its troops from Chad and Niger as it works to restore key agreements governing what role there might be there for the American military and its counterterrorism operations, the Pentagon said Thursday. Both African...
No final decision on withdrawing US troops from Niger and Chad, top official tells AP
BOSTON (AP) — There has been no final decision on whether or not all U.S. troops will leave Niger and Chad, two African countries that are integral to the military's efforts to counter violent extremist organizations across the Sahel region, a top U.S. military official told The Associated Press...
The US military will begin plans to withdraw troops from Niger
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The United States will begin plans to withdraw troops from Niger, U.S. officials said Saturday, in what experts say is a blow to Washington and its allies in the region in terms of staging security operations in the Sahel. The planned departure comes as U.S. officials said...
The US attempts a new military deal with Niger in a last ditch effort to stay
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The United States is attempting to create a new military agreement with Niger that would allow it to remain in the country, weeks after the junta said its presence was no longer justified, two Western officials told The Associated Press Friday. The officials,...
Russian military trainers arrive in Niger as relations deteriorate with the US
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Russian military trainers arrived this week in Niger to reinforce the country’s air defenses as the west African nation pulls away from close cooperation with the United States in counterterrorism efforts, turning instead to Russia for security. State...
In Mali, Russian Wagner mercenaries are helping the army kill civilians, rights groups say
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The Russian mercenary group known as Wagner is helping government forces in central and northern Mali carry out raids and drone strikes that have killed scores of civilians, including many children, rights groups said in reports published this week that span the period from...
US says it has not received a formal request by Niger junta to leave military bases
WASHINGTON (AP) — A top Pentagon official told Congress on Thursday that the U.S. has not received a formal request from Niger's junta to depart the country, saying it has received mixed signals on whether the hundreds of U.S. troops there are no longer welcome. Celeste Wallander,...
US weighing options in Africa after Niger junta orders departure from key counterterrorism base
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon is working with Niger officials, seeking a way for U.S. troops to stay in the country — a key base for counterterrorism operations in sub-Saharan Africa — following a weekend directive that they leave. Last week a high level-delegation of U.S....