ALBAWABA - Days after holding high-level talks with US diplomatic and military officials this week, Niger's junta announced rescinding an accord with the United States that allows military personnel and civilian staff from the Department of Defense to operate in the country.
In a televised statement over national television, Niger military spokesman Colonel Major Amadou Abdramane announced denouncing the agreement "relating to the status of military personnel of the United States and civilian employees of the American Department of Defense in the territory of the Republic of Niger,".
Colonel Major Abdramane said that his government has taken the decision after consulting with high-level officials while taking into account "the aspirations and interests of its people,".
Abdramane went on to say that the two countries' 2012 deal was pushed on Niger and violated the "constitutional and democratic rules" of the West African nation's sovereignty.
"This agreement is not only profoundly unfair in its substance but it also does not meet the aspirations and interests of the Nigerien people," Abdramane added in his statement.
Niger was once an important regional partner for the US, but ties have been deteriorating since the military junta took power in July 2023, in what the US officially declared a coup.
Since then, the United States has evacuated much of its 1,100 troops stationed in Niger. Senior Pentagon officials feel that maintaining a presence in Niger is critical to "combating terrorism in the region".
In October, the Pentagon stated that it was still determining how the change will affect the approximately 1,000 US troops stationed in the country. In a letter to Congress in December 2023, President Joe Biden stated that around 648 US military personnel remain deployed in Niger.
Abdramane stated that a US delegation received with "courtesy" but "did not respect diplomatic practices" by failing to provide information about the delegation's arrival date, composition, and purpose of visit.
During the sessions, Nigerien and American officials discussed Niger's military transition and bilateral military cooperation, according to Abdramane.
Abdramane said: "The government of Niger regrets the desire of the American delegation to deny the Nigerien people the right to choose their partners and the types of partnerships capable of helping them truly fight against terrorists,".
