Niger Junta Cancels Military Cooperation With The United States

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RWANDA - Niger Government Spokesperson Amadou Abdramane in a national television statement announced that the country had canceled a defense cooperation agreement with the United States which had been formed since 2012.

The Niger government, taking into account its aspirations and interests, has responsibly decided to immediately denounce the agreement that allows US military personnel and civil servants from the American Department of Defense to be in the Niger region, a spokesman for Amadou Abdramane said in a statement on national television reported by Anadolu on Sunday.

Abdramane made the statement following a visit by a delegation of senior US military officials led by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Molly Phee to Niger's capital Niamey earlier this week.

Abdramane accused the United States officials of not following diplomatic protocols and not telling Niger about the composition of the delegation. He also said that Niger regretted the US delegation's intention to reject the people's sovereign rights of the country in choosing partners and partnerships that could truly help fight terrorism.

Following the overthrow of Niger President Mohamed Bazoum in July, the Niger junta government demanded the withdrawal of French troops. But the United States maintains a drone base in the north with 1,000 troops.

Therefore, Abdramane said the government considers the presence of US troops in the Niger region as an illegal act because it is not democratically approved and provides unfavorable conditions for Niger, especially in terms of a lack of transparency regarding military activities.

Not only that, but the Niger military previously canceled two security and defense partnerships with the European Union in 2023. Then, in December, the West African country and Russia signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen defense cooperation.

As for the previous government in Niger, US troops trained Niger forces in counterterrorism that combine military practices, tactics, techniques, and strategies used by governments, militaries, law enforcement, businesses, and intelligence agencies to combat or question terrorism.