NIAMEY, NIGER — Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets of Niamey, the capital of Niger, this previous Saturday, voicing a powerful demand for the elimination of United States navy forces from the nation. This public outcry follows the navy authorities’s choice to finish a major navy settlement with the US and to ask Russian navy instructors into the nation.
In March, Niger Junta suspended its navy cooperation with the US after navy authorities leaders severed ties with France final 12 months.
Protesters, united of their sentiment and marching arm in arm, waved Nigerien flags and displayed indicators akin to “USA rush out of Niger,” echoing the tone of earlier anti-French demonstrations. These protests had contributed to the withdrawal of French navy forces following final 12 months’s coup, which ousted democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum.
Maria Saley, one of many protesters, shared with Reuters, “We’re here to say no to the American base, we don’t want Americans on our soil.” Chants like “Down with American imperialism” and “The people’s liberation is on the march,” crammed the air, highlighting the nationalistic fervour among the many demonstrators.
Prior to the coup, Niger was an important ally for Western powers, together with France and the US, of their efforts to fight rebel teams within the Sahel area of West Africa. The US had about 650 navy personnel in Niger as of December, in accordance with a White House report back to Congress. These troops operated primarily out of a serious airbase in Agadez, which has been pivotal for manned and unmanned surveillance missions concentrating on jihadist teams like ISIL and al-Qaeda affiliate Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM).
The current pivot in the direction of Russia by Niger’s new navy rulers mirrors comparable shifts in neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso, which have additionally ended navy contracts with Western nations and exited the regional political and financial bloc, ECOWAS, in favor of fostering relations with Moscow.
Despite some public assist for Russian navy help, considerations stay concerning the potential for a everlasting overseas navy presence. Abdoulaye Seydou, a civil society chief, expressed reservations: “We must not subsequently see the implementation of Russian foreign military bases,” a sentiment echoed by scholar Souleymane Ousmane who cautioned towards the historic sample of navy cooperation evolving into occupation.
The way forward for US navy presence in Niger stays unsure as discussions and tensions proceed to unfold.
https://www.africanexponent.com/protests-erupts-in-houndreds-in-ndemanding-us-military-exit/
