A military pact between the US and Niger that provided US soldiers with a vital military base and launching pad in the Sahel region of Africa has been suspended.
The announcement of the action came after US officials visited Niger last week to voice their worries, sparking a controversy concerning Niger’s relationship with Russia and Iran.

Niger has been ruled by the military since July 2023, when Abdourahamane Tchiani’s special guard force captured and jailed democratically elected president Mohamed Bazoum, and Niger has since been led by coup leader Abdourahamane Tchiani. The late creator of the state-funded Wagner military force in Russia, Yevgeny Prigozhin, praised the coup as a long-overdue liberation from Western colonizers.

Following the coup, the military government was threatened with force by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which demanded the quick reinstatement of Bazoum. Russia forbade ECOWAS from acting in this manner.

Then, following the lead of neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso, both of which had military takeovers in recent years, Niger expelled French and other European forces.

The French embassy in Niger was shut down. Following the coup, the US likewise halted some aid, but in December it made the conditional promise to resume relations. February saw the most sanctions removed by ECOWAS as well.

Following the coup, the US military moved some of its personnel from Air Base 101 in the city to Air Base 201 as part of its consolidation of forces in Niger.

In the meantime, Niger has looked to Russia for assistance, much like Mali and Burkina Faso.

In December, a Russian delegation paid Niamey a visit. To discuss military and commercial ties, Nigerien Prime Minister Ali Mahamane Lamine Zeine traveled to Moscow in January.

Colonel Amadou Abdramane, the spokesperson for the Niger military, mentioned pressure from the US over the countries Niger might collaborate with while declaring the suspension of the agreement.

Abdramane expressed dissatisfaction over the American delegation's plan to restrict the sovereign Nigerien people's ability to select alliances and forms of cooperation that will actually serve them in their struggle against terrorism.

He criticized the US diplomats for their "condescending attitude" and claimed that Washington had broken diplomatic convention by failing to notify Niger of the delegation's members, arrival date, or agenda.

General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the head of Niger's armed forces, refused to meet with the delegation. The US delegation later met the prime minister in Niamey, as reported by the local media.
It is evident that the US is getting increasingly irritated with Niger's increasing military alliances with Russia.

According to Niger, the US presence in the nation hasn't succeeded in stopping armed groups' operations there. Despite these alliances, the Sahel region continues to be the global epicenter for terrorism.

In fact, rather than helping to reduce terrorism, the United States' direct training and support of armed forces in the Sahel has made matters worse. The harsh truth is that officers with American training have frequently used their weapons against the very regimes they were supposed to defend, sparking a wave of coups that have further destabilized the area. Contrary to expectations, the U.S. commitment to these military forces has created a number of governance voids that have aided in the growth of terrorist organizations and the proliferation of violations of human rights.

One classic example of how U.S. efforts have backfired is the case of Colonel Assimi Goïta in Mali. Before toppling the Mali government in 2020, Goïta visited the Joint Special Operations University in Florida, participated in training exercises with US Special Operations forces, and worked cooperatively with them. Following that, Goïta consented to serve as vice president in a transitional government entrusted with reestablishing civilian rule over the country. But in 2021, he regained control.

Abdramane stopped short of saying US forces should leave. But he alleged their status and presence in Niger was illegal and violated constitutional and democratic rules because, he claimed, it was unilaterally imposed in 2012.

He claimed that Niger was unaware of the quantity of US military and civilian people stationed there, as well as the number of weapons in use, and that the agreement did not require the US military to react to requests for assistance in fighting extremists.

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