Niger terminates military cooperation agreement with the US

Government spokesperson Amadou Abdramane announced on state television that the military agreement allowing military and civilian personnel from the US Department of Defense to operate in Niger has been revoked with immediate effect.

Abdramane accused American officials of failing to provide prior notification regarding the visit of US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee and US Africa Command (AFRICOM) Commander General Michael Langley, who held talks in Niger last week.

There are approximately 1,000 US troops stationed in Niger. Near the city of Agadez, on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert, lies a drone base known as "Niger Air Base 201".

Niger 201 is the second-largest US base in Africa, after the permanent base in Djibouti, from which the US also conducts drone operations.

The base, which was built and financed by the US but is owned by the Nigerien military, has been in service since 2019 with high-tech satellite communication systems.

Leased from the state of Niger for 10 years, Niger 201 is considered the largest and most expensive US drone base.

The US, which spent 110 million dollars on its construction and 30 million dollars annually for its maintenance, uses the base as its primary intelligence and surveillance hub in the Sahel.

News Source: AA