Officials say the US wants to keep some troops in Niger as withdrawal negotiations continue

CNN
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The U.S. agreed to leave a small number of U.S. troops with the military junta that occupied Niger last July, despite a broad withdrawal order allowing for the withdrawal of the majority of fewer than 1,000 U.S. troops. trying to negotiate. US officials say troops are stationed in the West African country.

While some U.S. officials have begun conversations with Niger about what a withdrawal would look like, the civilian head of U.S. special operations told CNN this week that the Pentagon has yet to engage in more detailed dialogue with Niger. He said that the focus will be primarily on U.S. military logistics. Withdrawal.

A U.S. delegation is scheduled to visit Niger over the weekend to discuss how to implement the plan, officials said.

“We’re going to make the best of the situation we’re given, but the objective is to bring it down to a level that is in Nigeria and that Nigerians can tolerate,” said Chris Meyer, deputy assistant secretary of defense for special operations. He told CNN there was a strong collision.

“Niger feels pretty deeply about the local government’s decision to withdraw us or at least withdraw in very small numbers,” Meyer said.

Among the issues defense officials must resolve in talks with Niger’s government is an agreement to allow access for U.S. military aircraft. Airspace over Niger has been closed to foreign militaries since the July coup, and each country’s militaries must submit separate requests for airspace to conduct military flights, a U.S. official told CNN. Told.

U.S. military officials said the withdrawal would be phased in over several months. The current stage is that anything that is not necessary for life, safety and security is being dismantled and prepared to be taken out of the country. The footprint will continue to shrink in stages as equipment and personnel not deemed necessary are relocated overseas.

The official also made it clear that Niger’s government wants U.S. troops to leave, so while talks are still ongoing, any hope that a small number of troops will remain is largely wishful thinking at this point. said.

U.S. officials say the instability in Niger is just the latest sign of instability on the African continent, where a wave of military coups over the past few years has jeopardized the U.S. presence in the continent. He said it offered an opportunity to expose Russia and expand its influence. Although the U.S. military presence in Africa is relatively small and nominally focused on counterterrorism, officials also believe that Africa is key to Russia and the United States’ battle for global influence.

Niger’s military regime ended a military agreement with the United States in March, and in recent months Russian troops have been operating in different camps within the same base where American troops are stationed.

In addition to Niger’s expulsion of U.S. troops, Chad has threatened to revoke its Status of Forces Agreement with the U.S., further destabilizing the U.S. presence in Niger. Although the military losses are less obvious because of the small number of U.S. troops in Chad, a third U.S. official said it could usher in stability and U.S. influence across Chad. .

Gen. Michael Langley, commander of U.S. Africa Command, told Congress in March that “many countries” in Africa are “at the tipping point of actually being taken over by the Russian Federation because they are spreading false stories.” Meyer agreed, saying Russia and China are investing “much more than we do” in information operations, which helps them expand their influence.

U.S. officials said it would be difficult for the United States to directly counter what Russia is offering to some of the military leaders who have taken control of African governments. Russia can provide immediate security assistance, including weapons, in the fight against terrorism, but this is assistance with far fewer conditions than U.S. aid.

“My concern in particular is that the partnerships that we fundamentally depend on and that we want to help these countries either no longer exist or, in some cases, promise things more quickly. “It’s being replaced by a Russian panacea. It’s going to be something that some of these governments, particularly coup governments, think they need in the short term,” Meyer said.

The concern, the second U.S. official said, is that increased instability could open up countries across Africa where the U.S. cannot safely operate, but Russia could potentially operate safely. This could have dramatic security implications beyond Africa, especially if it jeopardizes America’s safe access to the Mediterranean Sea, where U.S. forces have been active since Hamas’ invasion of Israel in October.

When it comes to Africa, Meyer said, the U.S. “may be increasingly in a situation where we’re looking in from the outside.” But he added that it could be an opportunity to show that Russia’s offers to African countries were ineffective.

“Now some of these coup regimes have decided to side with Russia. So now they are a dog in the car,” he said. “And if we don’t get results, not just in the security field but in many other things that are part of governance, over time the facts will start to outweigh even the most sophisticated misinformation and disinformation.”