International Courant
In March, Niger suspended navy cooperation with the US after navy leaders reduce ties with France final yr.
A whole bunch of protesters have taken to the streets of Niger’s capital to demand the departure of US troops, after the navy authorities additional modified its technique by ending a navy take care of the US and welcoming Russian navy instructors.
On Saturday, crowds marched arm in arm via central Niamey waving Nigerien flags in an illustration that recalled anti-French protests that fueled the withdrawal of French troops from Niger final yr after the military seized energy in a coup.
A handwritten check in English learn “USA rush out of Niger,” in a present of help for the navy authorities and its resolution in mid-March to revoke an settlement that had allowed about 1,000 U.S. service members to to function on its territory. of two bases.
“We’re right here to say no to the American base, we don’t need People on our territory,” protester Maria Saley informed Reuters on the sidelines of the march.
The group was additionally heard chanting, “Down with American imperialism” and “Folks’s liberation is underway.”
Till the coup, Niger had remained a key safety associate of France and the US, which used the nation as a base as a part of worldwide efforts to curb a decade-old insurgency within the Sahel area of West Africa.
In March, the nation suspended its navy settlement with the US. The U.S. navy had about 650 troops in Niger in December, in response to a White Home report back to Congress. The US navy operates a big air base within the Niger metropolis of Agadez, about 920 kilometers from Niamey, and makes use of 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 $100 million. Since 2018, the bottom has been used to assault ISIL (ISIS) fighters and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM), an affiliate of al-Qaeda, within the Sahel area.
Ties with Russia
In the meantime, France additionally agreed to withdraw its troops final September within the wake of the July coup that overthrew democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum.
The brand new authorities in Niger joined military-led governments in neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso in ending navy offers with former Western allies, leaving the regional political and financial bloc ECOWAS and selling nearer ties with Russia .
The arrival on Wednesday of Russian navy instructors and gear was additional proof of the navy authorities’s openness to nearer cooperation with Moscow, which is looking for to extend its affect in Africa.
Some Russian flags had been seen on the protest, however some residents informed Reuters on Friday they didn’t need the welcome Russian protection help to result in a everlasting presence in Niger.
“We must always not then see the implementation of Russian international navy bases,” stated Abdoulaye Seydou, the coordinator of the M62 coalition of civil society teams that led final yr’s anti-French protests.
His issues had been echoed by scholar Souleymane Ousmane: “That is how the French, the People and all different international locations settled in Niger – via navy cooperation they ended up occupying massive components of our nation,” he informed Reuters.
Nonetheless, it’s nonetheless unclear if and when US troops will depart.
A whole bunch protest in Niger, demanding the departure of US troops | Protest information
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