According to a report by Reuters, a senior official from the US Department of Defense stated that Russian military personnel have entered a former US Air Force base in Niger, after the Nigerien military government decided to expel American forces before all of them had completely withdrawn.
The decision for the US military to withdraw from Niger was made after a meeting held in mid-March in the capital, Niamey.
The unnamed senior US defense official told Reuters that the Russian troops are currently not mixed with American forces, but stationed in a separate hangar at the US Air Force 101 base near the Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey.
Last year in July, Niger experienced a coup d’état, and since then, the US military has transferred some of its troops stationed at the 101 Air Force base to the 201 Air Force base in Agadez.
The presence of Russian troops at the 101 Air Force base raises concerns about the fate of the facilities left behind by the US after their withdrawal from the country. It is currently unclear what US military equipment remains at the 101 Air Force base.
The US spent over $100 million to build the 201 Air Force base in central Niger. Since 2018, the base has been used to conduct drone strikes against combatants of the Islamic State and the al-Qaeda affiliate Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM).
As tensions between the US and Russia intensify due to the conflict in Ukraine, Russia’s actions in Niger bring the two countries’ militaries into close proximity.
In response to the Reuters report, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin downplayed the risks faced by the American troops or the possibility of Russian forces approaching US military hardware.
During a press conference in Honolulu, he stated, “The Russian forces are in a separate camp, unable to interact with US forces or access our equipment.”
He added, “I am always concerned about the safety of our troops… but right now, I don’t see significant issues in terms of protecting our forces.”
The anonymous official also mentioned that, “While the situation is not ideal, it is still manageable in the short term.”
Although no decision has been made regarding the future of the US troops stationed in Niger, the plan is to have them return to the US Africa Command base in Germany.
A two-star US general has been deployed to Niger to coordinate a professional and responsible withdrawal.
Several African countries have recently experienced coups, with organizations distancing themselves from Western governments coming to power. The US and its allies have been compelled to withdraw from these countries. The US military is not only preparing to leave Niger but has recently departed from Chad, while French forces have left Mali and Burkina Faso.
Russia, seizing the opportunity, is working to strengthen its relations with African countries, claiming to be a friendly nation without colonial baggage on the African continent.
For example, Mali has become one of Russia’s closest allies in Africa in recent years, with Wagner Group mercenaries deployed in Mali to combat rebel forces.
According to the unnamed US official, Niger authorities informed the Biden administration that around 60 Russian military personnel would be stationed in Niger, but the official was unable to verify this number.
Niger experienced a coup last year, and before the coup, the country had been a crucial partner for Washington in carrying out counterterrorism operations in the volatile Sahel region of North Africa. Insurgent forces in the region have led to thousands of deaths and millions of displaced people.
While the military rulers currently governing this West African country have requested nearly a thousand US military personnel to be withdrawn from the country, Washington remains concerned about Islamic armed groups in the Sahel region where Niger is located. Without the presence of US military and intelligence capabilities, armed groups could potentially expand once again.