🇳🇪🇺🇲 The National Council for the Defense of the Fatherland of Niger announced the denunciation of the military cooperation agreement with the United States .
The agreement, concluded in 2012, allowed the presence of American military and civilian personnel of the Ministry of Defense in the country. Niger is home to Air Base 201 Agadez, home to MQ-9 Reaper UAVs and C-17 military transport aircraft, and the base is the main intelligence and monitoring center for the United States in the Sahel. Also in the country in recent years, special forces units have been stationed on a permanent basis to conduct anti-terrorism operations and train the Nigerian military.
Colonel Abdurahman Amadou, who made the statement, claims that when making the decision, the government noted the illegal activities of American Air Force aircraft in the country’s airspace.
Last December, Niger denounced a similar agreement with the EU.
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Washington was aware of the statement, and that it came after “frank discussions … about our concerns” with the junta’s “trajectory.”
Miller said on X that the US was still in touch with the junta and would provide updates “as warranted.”