Niger revokes military accord with US, junta says

[Pelican Press 0]

****** revokes military accord with US, junta says

******’s ruling junta has revoked with immediate effect a military accord that allows military personnel and civilian staff from the US Department of Defence on its soil, junta spokesperson Colonel Amadou Abdramane says.

The decision follows a visit by US officials this week which was led by Assistant Secretary of State for ******** Affairs Molly Phee and included General Michael Langley, commander of the US ******* Command.

Abdramane, speaking on television in the West ******** nation, said the US delegation did not follow diplomatic protocol, and ****** was not informed about the composition of the delegation, the date of its arrival or the agenda.

He added the discussions were around the current military transition in ******, military co-operation between the two countries and ******’s choice of partners in the ****** against militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State.

A US official, speaking on the condition anonymity, said senior US officials had “frank discussions” in Niamey earlier this week about the trajectory of ******’s ruling military council – known as the CNSP.

“We are in touch with the CNSP and will provide further updates as warranted,” the official added.

Since seizing power in July last year, the ****** junta, like the military rulers in neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso, have kicked out French and other ********* forces, and turned to Russia for support.

“****** regrets the intention of the ********* delegation to deny the sovereign Nigerien people the right to choose their partners and types of partnerships capable of truly helping them ****** against terrorism,” Abdramane said.

“Also, the government of ****** forcefully denounces the condescending attitude accompanied by the threat of retaliation from the head of the ********* delegation towards the Nigerien government and people.”

There were about 1100 US troops in ****** as of last year, where the US military operates out of two bases, including a drone base known as Air Base 201, built near Agadez in central ****** at a cost of more than $US100 million ($A152 million).

Since 2018 the base has been used to target Islamic State militants and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen, an al Qaeda affiliate, in the Sahel region.

Abdramane said the status and presence of US troops in ****** was ******** and violated constitutional and democratic rules because, according to the spokesperson, it was unilaterally imposed on the ******** nation in 2012.

He said ****** was not aware of the number of US civilian and military personnel on its soil or the amount of equipment deployed and, according to the agreement, the US military had no obligation to respond to any request for help against militants.

“In light of all the above, the government of ******, revokes with immediate effect the agreement concerning the status of ******* States military personnel and civilian employees of the ********* Department of Defence on the territory of the Republic of ******,” Abdramane said.

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