US to cut military presence in Niger – Politico

The US has begun “repositioning” the troops it has in Niger and plans to cut their number “nearly in half” over the next several weeks, Politico reported on Friday citing two Defense Department officials.

Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters on Thursday that some of the troops stationed at the airport in Niamey have already redeployed to the smaller base in Agadez, about 500 miles (739 km) away. 

As part of the move, the US will also reduce the overall number of troops in Niger from around 1,200 to somewhere between 500 and 1,000, one official told Politico. 

The final number will depend on how many the Pentagon decides it will need to continue the counterterrorism mission and how many troops can be accommodated at Agadez, the two officials said.

“It’s about matching the right people to the right mission,” the second official said. “The number is not as important to us as the function they are performing.”

Although Singh called the situation in Niger “relatively stable” and noted there was no “specific threat” to US troops, one of Politico’s sources said the decision to redeploy was taken out of abundance of caution, given the recent protests outside the French military base in Niamey.

“We are trying to reduce the footprint in Niamey but still maintain our ability to conduct counterterrorism operations,” the official said.

The US and France have sent troops and drones to Niger to counter the Islamic insurgents who appeared throughout the Sahel after the 2011 NATO regime-change intervention in Libya. 

The Nigerien military ousted US-backed President Mohamed Bazoum in late July, accusing him of failure in the war on terrorism. The military government has since demanded the departure of French forces. Nearby Mali and Burkina Faso have also been taken over by military governments in recent years and likewise ousted the former colonial power.

Though Bazoum has appealed to the US to intervene and “restore democracy,” the US has refrained from classifying his ouster as a “coup,” since that would require Washington to cut all military aid to Niger. The Pentagon has “suspended” the training of Nigerien forces, but is reluctant to leave the country altogether.

Earlier this week, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) warned that the US might be preparing to assassinate the leaders of the military government in Niamey, as the threat of military intervention by the West African bloc ECOWAS has failed to sway them into restoring Bazoum.

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