Representatives from the United States and Niger are set to meet in Niamey on Thursday to initiate formal discussions about the withdrawal of US forces from the African nation, according to a written statement from the Head of the State Department's press service, Matthew Miller.
The US Ambassador to Niger, Kathleen Fitzgibbon, and Major General Ken Ekman, representing the US Armed Forces' Africa Command, will attend the meeting on behalf of the American side. Miller stated that the discussions would focus on the "orderly and responsible withdrawal of US forces from Niger."
The State Department revealed that "additional meetings to coordinate the withdrawal process in a transparent and mutually respectful manner" would follow. Miller also mentioned that US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell would visit Niger in the coming months to discuss cooperation with the country's authorities in areas of mutual interest.
Miller admitted that Washington has been unsuccessful in reaching an agreement with Niger's National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland to continue defense cooperation in its current format.
In March, Niger terminated a military agreement with the US that had established a US drone base in the northern part of the African country. Niger's military authorities justified their decision by stating that the agreement was forced upon the nation and did not serve the people's interests. Approximately 1,100 US military personnel were stationed in Niger by the end of 2023, with the majority located at an air force base near Agadez.
In late July 2023, a group of mutinous presidential guard military officers in Niger announced the removal of head of state Mohamed Bazoum from power. The National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland, led by Guard Commander Abdourahmane Tchiani, was established to govern the country.
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Based on materials from TASS