Protesters in Niger demand the departure of the American army

Thousands of protesters gathered in Niger's capital on Saturday to call for the withdrawal of U.S. armed forces personnel stationed in the West African country, just days after Russia delivered its own military equipment and weapons. instructors to the country's army.

The protest in the capital, Niamey, fits a well-known pattern in some countries in the region, led by military juntas, which have severed ties with Western countries in recent years and instead turned to Russia to fight against extremist insurgencies.

American army, you leave, you move, you disappear, we read on a sign brandished by a demonstrator. No bonus, no negotiation.

About 1,000 U.S. military personnel are stationed at a remote drone base in the Niger desert, from where they operate drones that track the movements of extremist groups in Niger and throughout the region.

But the United States suspended military cooperation with Niger's military last summer, when mutinous soldiers seized power in the country. This disruption kept drones on the ground and troops inactive. Last month, Niger ordered US troops to leave, declaring their presence illegal.

A US State Department spokesperson said America remains in discussions with Nigerien authorities about its military presence and cooperation in the country.

But the sudden arrival of 100 Russian instructors and an air defense system in Niger last week will make prospects for short-term cooperation even more uncertain. According to Russian state media Ria Novosti, the Russian personnel are part of the Africa Corps, the new paramilitary structure intended to replace the Wagner Group, the military company whose mercenaries and operations have spread across Africa under the leadership of its former leader, Eugene V. Prigozhin.

We are here to train the Nigerien army to use the military equipment that is here, a Russian trainer said last week during a broadcast on Nigerien national television, standing in front of a Russian military plane. We are here to develop military cooperation between Russia and Niger.

Mohamed Bazoum, the democratically elected president of Niger who was arrested by his own presidential guard last July, has since been held captive in his private residence in Niamey, without access to the outside world or his lawyers. He refused to resign.

Protesters in Niamey on Saturday waved Russian flags as well as those of Burkina Faso and Mali, two neighboring countries where military-led governments have also requested Russian aid to help them fight insurgents affiliated with Islamic State and Al-Qaeda.

All roads leading to the American embassy, ​​located a few kilometers from the square, were blocked.

Unlike previous protests against France, a former key partner of Niger that withdrew its troops last year due to fallouts with the junta, Saturday's demonstration remained generally calm. But the message was clear.

“We cannot understand that the American base on our territory does not prevent terrorists from killing our soldiers,” said Mariama Saley, 40, who describes herself as a civil society activist. The Americans will leave Niger as the French did before them.

We need partners who will put an end to terrorism, said another protester, Amadou Soumana.

Niger's government spokesperson and a close associate of the country's current leader, General Abdourahmane Tchiani, attended the demonstration.

A senior U.S. official said that despite the protest and public calls for U.S. troops to leave, top ministers in Niger's military government were privately calling for a review of the security partnership with the United States, not 'give up. The U.S. official spoke on condition of anonymity to comment on the diplomatic discussions.

Niger's alliance with Russia dates back several years: Niger purchased military helicopters from Russia in 2016 and the two countries signed a military cooperation and training agreement two years later. But at the same time, governments in the Sahel region, the arid strip of land south of the Sahara that includes Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, have begun to rely on the United States and European countries to train their troops and collect intelligence on the armed forces. groups.

Those days are over, say Western diplomats and analysts. A delegation from Washington and the top U.S. Africa commander, Gen. Michael E. Langley, who visited Niger last month left without meeting with the country's leader, Gen. Tchiani. .

Niger later criticized the delegation's condescending attitude and accused U.S. officials of threatening retaliation if Niger associated itself with U.S. rivals like Russia and Iran.

The United States has asked Niger to choose sides, a Western diplomat based in a Sahel country to discuss current diplomatic tensions said on condition of anonymity. Well, now they have.

Eric Schmitt contributed reporting from Washington.

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