Niger : The United States presents a project to withdraw its forces from the country

The Ministry of Interior in Niger reported on Wednesday that the United States will soon present a “draft” regarding arrangements for the withdrawal of its deployed forces from the country, after canceling the military agreement between Washington and Niamey.

The ministry indicated in a statement that US Ambassador Kathleen Fitzgibbon announced this step during her meeting with the Nigerian Minister of Interior, General Mohamed Tumba.

According to the same source, the American diplomat announced that “her country will return with a project” related to arrangements for the withdrawal of American forces from Nigerien territory, which number more than a thousand soldiers, without specifying a specific time period for that.

The ministry added that Fitzgibbon clarified that the United States is responsible for Niger's decision to cancel the military agreement and that the withdrawal project will be discussed between the two parties.

For his part, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller refused to comment on the Nigerien statement, stressing that the status of American forces in Niger remains unchanged at the present time.

Miller added that the United States is “contacting with the transitional authorities in Niamey to obtain clarifications in this regard,” stressing that talking about the content of these discussions will not be fruitful.

The United States had previously conducted an assessment of the future of “counter-terrorism” operations in the Sahel region after the military junta in Niger announced the end of its military cooperation with Washington following the visit of prominent American officials.

The ruling military junta in Niger canceled  the military cooperation agreement with the United States , and considered the presence of American forces on Niger’s territory illegal and inconsistent with Niger’s interests.

The reason behind the military junta's decision to suspend military relations was not clear, and the military junta's spokesman, Colonel Major Amadou Abdel Rahman, said that American air sorties over Niger's territory in recent weeks were illegal.