Video footage shows a plane with a Russian flag on its wing that was identified as landing in Niamey, the capital, on Wednesday evening. A man wearing a camouflage uniform and neck gaiter, identified as a “Russian military instructor,” said his group had arrived “to train the Nigerian army, using the military equipment that arrived here.”
The Russian deployment is part of a trend in the region but is particularly significant in Niger, which until the coup was a powerful Western ally on security issues. The Sahel countries of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have been rocked in recent years by violence linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, and military juntas have staged coups against democratically elected leaders, citing the security situation.
The juntas’ rhetoric touts sovereignty and rejection of France, their former colonial power, and they increasingly look to Russia and other partners for help on security issues. In Mali, more than 1,000 Russian soldiers are fighting alongside the army, while Burkina Faso welcomed Russian trainers earlier this year.
The US presence in Niger includes around 1,000 troops and a major drone base in the north of the country, in Agadez. Gen. Michael E. Langley, who directs U.S. military operations in Africa, said the base played a key role in “active surveillance and alert.”
Niger’s announcement of the end of its military agreements with the United States follows Langley’s trip to Niamey; Molly Phee, the State Department’s top official for African affairs; and Celeste Wallander, assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs. Junta spokesman Amadou Abdramane read a statement on television after the visit, denouncing Phee’s “condescending attitude” and saying the delegation had tried to dictate which countries the West African nation should deal with. could maintain relations, notably Iran and Russia.
But in private meetings in the weeks that followed, U.S. officials continued to talk with the junta about whether the United States could maintain some form of security presence in the country. A senior U.S. official described the situation as “dynamic,” with both sides exploring conditions under which the U.S. military presence could continue.
The State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on what the arrival of Russian troops meant for such discussions. There has been no public announcement of a plan to leave U.S. troops, who remain at their base.
Since the junta government’s announcement of the end of military agreements between the United States and Niger, residents of the country have increasingly called for the Americans to leave. Leaflets for a demonstration against the US presence planned for Saturday in Niamey call on Nigeriens to “come out en masse” – echoing calls made last year before the departure of French troops.
washingtonpost
