Niger: protest held in Niamey demanding withdrawal of US troops

Hundreds of demonstrators took part in a protest on Saturday (13 April) to demand the departure of the US troops after the military junta in Niamey further shifted its strategy by recently withdrawing from a military accord with the United States and welcoming Russian military personnel.

The rally took place in the center of the capital city, at the call of civil society organizations close to Niger’s ruling military regime whose prominent members also took part in the demonstration. The crowd was heard chanting “Down with American imperialism” and “The people’s liberation is on the march”. This may signal a further step designed to urge Washington to withdraw its 650 troops from the West African country, just days after the arrival of Russian military instructors to provide security for Niger’s ruling junta.

Until the coup in July last year, Niger had remained a key security partner of France and the United States, which set up a major airbase in the city of Agadez as part of international efforts to target ISIL (ISIS) fighters and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM), an al-Qaeda affiliate, in West Africa’s Sahel region. After severing ties with France last year, in March, Niger’s ruling junta also suspended the military cooperation with the US. Experts point out that the arrival last Wednesday (10 April) of Russian military instructors and equipment makes it complicated for the US forces, along with diplomatic and civilian personnel, to remain in the country.