Refusing to comply with Niger eviction order puts US troops at risk
4 Min Read
A US Air Force officer files a complaint against US embassy employees in Niger for withholding intelligence information in order to maintain the "appearance of good relations between the two countries."
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At a protest in Niger's capital Niamey, a man holds up a sign demanding that soldiers from the United States Army leave Niger in April 2024 (AFP)
A US Air Force military official in Niger filed a complaint to Congress requesting an investigation into the activities of US embassy staff in the country, The Washington Post reported on Thursday.
Additionally, a segment in the document filed by the officer included a request for assistance in the withdrawal of military personnel from the country.
Niger declared in March an abrupt end to a longstanding military agreement with the US.
According to the spokesperson of the Nigerien military, the accord, which facilitated the "illegal" presence of American military personnel and civilian staff from the Department of Defense within the Nigerien borders, was severed due to being unfair and a tool used by the US to undermine the nation's sovereignty.
Moreover, Colonel Major Amadou Abdramane reminded that the US decided to unilaterally end its cooperation with Niger in the wake of the military takeover in 2023.
Read more: Russian experts in Niger to train forces against terrorism: Sputnik
"It is clear that Niger does not want a permanent foreign military presence on its territory. It insists on the need for us to leave this country," the newspaper said.
There is currently about 1,100 US military personnel there, "who have effectively become hostages instead of returning to their homeland and families." At the same time, the US State Department "continues to engage in a failed diplomatic process without informing the Nigerien authorities what the troop's withdrawal plan will look like."
The military officer mentioned that the embassy staff in Niger deliberately withheld intelligence information to "maintain the appearance of good relations between the two countries."
He also explained that "the staff failed to maintain transparency in their relations with American military personnel."
Read more: US downplays effect of severed military accords with Niger
"The embassy did not inform the Pentagon that the Nigerien authorities had not issued entry visas to Americans, further complicating efforts to withdraw these military personnel later."
The complainant emphasized that the embassy's actions would have "possible consequences on US relations with other African countries and the safety of American employees in the region."
Last year, the United States repositioned its military forces in Niger and withdrew some non-essential personnel as a precautionary measure following the coup that ousted Western-backed President Mohamed Bazoum.
Until shortly before the military takeover, Niger was a key security partner for France and the US, both of which used it as a base in the Sahel region of West Africa.
The new leadership of Niger also cut ties with Paris last year, forced its military out of the country, and banned the export of uranium and gold to France.
Niger's President General Abdourahmane Tchiani demanded in February compensation from France for over a century of colonial and neocolonial exploitation of his country's natural resources.
Tiani stated that the West African country will examine all archival data concerning the recent history of Africa. Subsequently, Niger will develop a comprehensive plan outlining the repayment schedule for all debts accumulated by France toward Niger.
The French Foreign Ministry announced last month that France's embassy in Niger has been closed "until further notice," citing "serious obstacles". The Foreign Ministry's statement noted then that "for five months, our embassy has been severely hampered, making it impossible to carry out its missions."
