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15-04-2024
NIAMEY: Hundreds took to the streets of Niger’s capital, Niamey, on Saturday to demand the departure of US troops.
It comes after the West African country’s military leadership said it was withdrawing from a military agreement with the US.
Several prominent figures from the junta were present at the demonstration in front of the National Assembly Headquarters.
The crowd chanted “Down with American imperialism” and “The people’s liberation is on the march.”
Flags from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Russia were visible.
Burkina Faso and Mali are also run by military juntas and all three states maintain good relations with Russia. The three countries in the Sahel region set up a joint force to combat long-running Islamist insurgencies in March.
On Wednesday, Russian military instructors arrived in Niger. Nigerien state broadcaster RTN reported that Russian forces had plans to install an anti-aircraft system in the country.
The junta leadership said last month that a 2012 cooperation agreement had been “unilaterally imposed” by Washington and that the US would submit a proposal to withdraw from the country.
It remains unclear if or when US troops will withdraw from Niger.
Niger has been ruled by a military junta since a coup in July. Before the coup, Niger was a key security partner of France and the United States in fighting a long-running Islamist insurgency in the Sahel region.
The Sahel saw a 38% increase in conflict fatalities in 2023 compared with the previous year, according to the US-based ACLED crisis monitor.
In June last year, France has said that it will begin to withdraw its troops from Niger this week in light of ongoing tensions with the West African country’s post-coup regime.
Niger’s military junta confirmed late on Thursday that 400 French soldiers stationed in the southwestern town of Ouallam would be the first to leave.
Another 1,000 French soldiers are deployed at an air base in the capital of Niger, Niamey, which according to a statement that was read out on national radio will be dismantled by the end of the year.
The junta said that the departure of French troops would be orderly, safe and carried out “in respect of our interests and conditions.” It also called on citizens to be vigilant during the “transition period.”
An announcement last month by French President Emmanuel Macronthat France would withdraw its ambassador and its military contingent from Niger had been met with satisfaction by the country’s new leaders, who said it was a significant step towards achieving sovereignty.
Ali Idrissa, the Nigerien coordinator of “Publish What you Pay,” a coalition of civil society organizations that advocates for financial transparency in the extractive industries sector, hailed the withdrawal as a “victory for the Nigerien people who fought for this.
Nigerien activist Maikoul Zodi was keen to point out Macron’s volte-face. “For us this is a clear victory because, a week ago, he (Macron) was saying that only deposed President Mohamed Bazoum had the right to order the withdrawal of French troops. Now the Nigerien people have shown that Niger belongs to Nigeriens,” he told media.
While there have been several military coups in West Africa in the past couple of years, for many, the situation in Niger carries higher stakes because of the impact not only on the country itself, but on the Sahel region and West Africa more generally, as well as for transcontinental geopolitics. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
