Title: Provocative Step Allows Russian Soldiers to Enter US Base in Niger
A senior American defense official says Russian forces do not mingle with US forces but rather use a separate facility at the Nigerien Air Base 101 in Niamey
A senior official at the US Department of Defense (the Pentagon) says that Russian soldiers entered an airbase in Niger that hosts American forces in a move following the decision of the Nigerien military council to expel American soldiers from the country.
The military officers governing the West African state requested the United States to withdraw approximately a thousand military personnel from the country, which until last year’s coup was a key partner in Washington’s war against rebels who killed thousands and displaced millions.
A senior American defense official, who requested anonymity, stated that Russian forces do not mix with US forces but use a separate facility at the adjacent Nigerien Air Base 101 near Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey, the capital of Niger.
This move by the Russian military places American and Russian soldiers at very close proximity to each other at a time when military and diplomatic competition between the two countries is increasing due to the conflict in Ukraine.
The move also raises questions about the fate of American facilities in the country after withdrawal. The official said, “The situation is not good, but it can be managed in the short term.”
In response to media reports, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin downplayed any danger to US forces or the possibility of Russian forces approaching US military equipment.
Austin said at a press conference in Honolulu, “The Russians are in a separate compound and cannot access our forces or equipment,” adding, “I always focus on the safety and protection of our forces… But at the moment, I don’t see a big problem here regarding the protection of our forces.”
The United States and its allies have been forced to withdraw their troops from several African countries following coups that brought to power groups eager to distance themselves from Western governments. In addition to the impending departure from Niger, US forces left Chad in recent days, while French forces were expelled from Mali and Burkina Faso.
At the same time, Russia is seeking to strengthen its relations with African countries and portray itself as a friendly state with no colonial past on the continent.
Mali, for example, has become one of Russia’s closest allies in Africa in recent years, with the deployment of a force belonging to the Russian Wagner military group there to fight militants.
Russia has described relations with the United States as “below zero” due to US military and financial assistance to Ukraine in a war entering its third year.
The American official said that Nigerien authorities informed the administration of President Joe Biden that about 60 Russian soldiers would be in Niger, but he could not confirm this number.
After the coup, the US military moved some of its forces in Niger from Air Base 101 to Air Base 201 in Agadez. It is not yet clear what American military equipment remains at Air Base 101.
The United States established Air Base 201 in central Niger at a cost exceeding $100 million. Since 2018, the base has been used to target fighters from the Islamic State and the Group for Support of Islam and Muslims affiliated with Al-Qaeda with drones.
Washington is concerned about extremist militants in the Sahel region, who may expand in the absence of American presence and intelligence capabilities.
Niger’s move to demand the withdrawal of American forces came after a meeting in Niamey in mid-March, during which senior American officials raised concerns about the expected arrival of Russian forces and reports of Iran’s attempt to obtain raw materials in the country like uranium.
Although Washington’s message to Nigerien officials was not a final warning, it was clarified that US forces could not be located on the same base as Russian forces, adding, “They did not accept that.”
An American general was sent to Niger to try to coordinate a professional and responsible withdrawal.
Although no decisions have been made regarding the future of American soldiers in Niger, the official indicated that the plan was to return them to American command bases in Africa based in Germany.
