US reaches agreement with Niger to withdraw military forces by September 15

The US has reached an agreement with Niger to withdraw its military forces from the African nation by September 15, according to the US Defense Department and the Nigerien Ministry of National Defence.

According to CNN, the newly agreed deadline gives the US four months to draw down fewer than 1,000 troops who remain in the country, as well as their equipment, which includes MQ-9 Reaper drones and other assets.

But even as the deadline looms, US officials see potential for a relationship with Niger. “They want to maintain a relationship with us,” a senior defence official said, “and that relationship is certainly informed by where we’ve been with them.”

The US delegation met with Niger’s ruling military junta last week to try to reach an agreement that would allow for the secure withdrawal of US forces and for clearances for military flights. The flight clearances had been a sticking point in the sensitive negotiations needed to withdraw US forces. Until now, US troops who have left Niger took commercial flights, including as recently as last week, according to US officials. The remaining troops on the ground are tasked with drawing down US personnel and equipment still in Niger.

The Defense Department has worked with the Nigerien military for more than a decade, focusing its efforts on counterterrorism in West Africa. The US previously operated out of two bases – Agadez and Niamey – that allowed the Pentagon to carry out surveillance and reconnaissance missions with drones. Now, US forces are limited to the base in the capital of Niamey, where Russian forces have already begun operating.“Niger has been really an anchor for our counterterrorism efforts over a decade,” said the defence official, who said conversations on future cooperation are ongoing.

But what that coordination looks like is an open question, especially as the US has already begun removing some of the 1,100 military personnel operating in the country. Defence officials painted an optimistic picture of a potential future relationship with Niger given the military junta’s demand that the US withdraws its forces from the country.

The Nigerien military “did not see this as the closing of the relationship,” said a senior military official. The senior defense official and senior military official briefed reporters Sunday afternoon, following a series of meetings between US and Nigerien officials about the withdrawal.

The US delegation was led by Chris Meier, the assistant secretary of defence for special operations and low-intensity conflict. The Nigerien delegation was led by Col.-Maj. Mamane Sani Kiaou, the chief of staff of the Nigerian army.

“Both delegations confirmed the guarantees of protection and security to the American forces during their withdrawal. The delegations also established procedures to facilitate the entry and exit of U.S. personnel, including overflight and landing clearances for military flights,” the joint statement said.