The Pentagon has withdrawn its troops from Niger, a move that coincides with Russia’s rising prominence and popularity in the West African region. Built at a cost of $110 million, the in Agadez base is located 914 km from capital Niamey. In the Sahel region, groups such as the Al Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), the Islamic State’s Greater Sahara branch, and the Islamic State West Africa Province pose significant threats to local militaries and foreign partners, including the United States. The US, with its surveillance drone presence in Niger, aimed to secure its interests in the conflict-ridden tri-border region connecting Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso.
The U.S. withdrawal in September 2024 follows months after Niger’s military junta, which came to power in a 2023 coup, terminated an agreement with the U.S. that allowed military personnel and civilian staff from the Department of Defense to operate in the country. Approximately 1,000 U.S. troops were stationed in Niger as part of the U.S. counterterrorism mission, a presence that gained attention after four U.S. Special Forces soldiers were killed in 2017 during an ambush by roughly 50 fighters, as reported by CNN.
There is an anti-colonial sentiment behind this U.S. military exit from this former French colony. The Pentagon is increasingly concerned about Russia’s growing rapport with Niger’s junta.
Since 2020, a wave of military coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Gabon, Chad, and recently Niger has tapped into public sentiment to garner popular support. By December 2023, more than 15,000 troops from France, the European Union, and the United Nations had withdrawn from Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. In response to this the junta-led nations of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger announced the formation of the Alliance of Sahel States, known in French as L’Alliance des États du Sahel (AES) On September 16, 2023. The US is trying to cajole Benin, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, through joint drills and other diplomatic efforts.
Although the U.S. only operated bases in Niger, it continues to maintain a military presence in Ghana, Senegal, and Gabon. U.S. military influence in West Africa is diminishing, largely due to the deteriorating relations between the leaders of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger and their former colonial power, France, as noted in an Al Jazeera report. The United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) has maintained a presence in 26 African countries.
Amid this transition in West Africa, Russia has reportedly sought to expand its influence by deploying hundreds of fighters from the Wagner Group, now known as the Africa Corps, to gear up local military forces. This deployment signifies Moscow’s strategic approach to supporting these forces and not only fills the gap left by the withdrawal of Western troops but also aligns seamlessly with Russia’s broader ambition to enhance its presence in regions historically dominated by the Western powers.