In March, Niger suspended its army cooperation with the US after army authorities leaders severed ties with France final 12 months.
Hundreds of protesters have taken to the streets of Niger’s capital to demand the departure of United States troops, after the army authorities additional shifted its technique by ending a army accord with the US and welcoming Russian army instructors.
Marching arm in arm by way of central Niamey on Saturday, the gang waved Nigerien flags in an indication that recalled anti-French protests that spurred the withdrawal of France’s forces from Niger final 12 months after the military seized energy in a coup.
One hand-written sign up English learn “USA rush out of Niger”, in a present of help for the army authorities and its determination in mid-March to revoke an accord that had allowed round 1,000 US army personnel to function on its territory out of two bases.
“We’re here to say no to the American base, we don’t want Americans on our soil,” protester Maria Saley advised the Reuters information company on the sidelines of the march.
The crowd was additionally heard chanting “Down with American imperialism” and “The people’s liberation is on the march.”
Until the coup, Niger had remained a key safety associate of France and the US, which used it as a base as a part of worldwide efforts to curb a decade-old rise up in West Africa’s Sahel area.
In March the nation suspended its army settlement with the US. The US army had some 650 personnel working in Niger in December, in line with a White House report back to Congress. The US army operates a serious airbase within the Niger metropolis of Agadez, some 920km (572 miles) from Niamey, utilizing it for manned and unmanned surveillance flights and different operations.
A drone base often called Air Base 201 close to Agadez was additionally constructed at a price of greater than $100m. Since 2018 the bottom has been used to focus on ISIL (ISIS) fighters and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM), an al-Qaeda affiliate, within the Sahel area.
Ties with Russia
Meanwhile, France additionally agreed to withdraw its troops final September within the wake of the July coup that overthrew democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum.
The new authorities in Niger joined military-run governments in neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso in ending army offers with one-time Western allies, quitting the regional political and financial bloc ECOWAS and in addition fostering nearer ties with Russia.
The arrival on Wednesday of Russian army instructors and gear was additional proof of the army authorities’s openness to nearer cooperation with Moscow, which is looking for to spice up its affect in Africa.
Just a few Russian flags have been seen on the protest, however some residents advised Reuters on Friday they didn’t need the welcome Russian defence help to result in a everlasting presence in Niger.
“We must not subsequently see the implementation of Russian foreign military bases,” mentioned Abdoulaye Seydou, the coordinator of the M62 coalition of civil society teams that led anti-French protests final 12 months.
His issues have been echoed by scholar Souleymane Ousmane: “This is how the French and the Americans and all the other countries settled in Niger – from military cooperation, they ended up occupying large parts of our country,” he advised Reuters.
It continues to be unclear, nevertheless, if or when the US troops will go away.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/4/13/hundreds-protest-in-niger-demanding-departure-of-us-troops?traffic_source=rss
