No final decision on US troop withdrawal from Niger and Chad, senior official tells AP

BOSTON– There has been no final decision on whether or not all U.S. troops will leave Niger and Chad, two African countries that are integral to military efforts to combat violent extremist organizations across the Sahel region, a senior U.S. military official said. to the Associated Press on Wednesday. .

Niger’s ruling junta ended a deal last month that allows U.S. troops to operate in the West African country. The State Department said Wednesday night that U.S. and Nigerien officials would meet Thursday in the capital, Niamey, “to begin discussions on an orderly and responsible withdrawal of U.S. forces.”

This meeting comes at a time when the two countries “have been unable to reach an understanding” to continue cooperation “in a way that responds to the needs and concerns of each side,” said State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.

The government of neighboring Chad has also questioned its agreement with the United States in recent days, Joint Chiefs Vice Chairman Admiral Christopher Grady, the country’s second-highest-ranking military officer, said in an interview.

The agreements allow the US to conduct critical counterterrorism operations within the countries’ borders and have supported the formation of military partners in both nations. The reversals have raised concerns that U.S. influence in Africa is losing ground to overtures from Russia and China.

“We’re all trying to establish ourselves as partners of choice,” Grady said. “It’s up to us to establish why we think our partnership with them is important. We certainly want to be there. We want to help them, we want to empower them, we want to do things for, with and through them.”

While U.S. officials said Saturday that the military would begin plans to withdraw troops from Niger, they said discussions about a new military agreement were ongoing.

“Negotiations are still ongoing,” Grady said. “I don’t believe there will be a final decision on the disposition of U.S. forces in that country.”

Relations between Niger and Western countries have frayed since mutinous soldiers ousted the country’s democratically elected president in July. Niger’s junta has since told French forces to leave and has instead turned to Russia for safety. Earlier this month, Russian military trainers arrived to reinforce the country’s air defenses and with Russian equipment to train Nigerians.

The Chadian government also recently requested the departure of U.S. forces, and officials from the State Department, U.S. Africa Command and the Pentagon will work with the Chadian government to advocate for U.S. forces to remain, Grady said.

“The team needs to get out there and work on it,” Grady said.

He said that if both countries decide that the United States cannot remain there, the military will have to look for alternatives to carry out counterterrorism missions throughout the Sahel, a vast region south of the Sahara Desert.

“If we are asked to leave, and after negotiations this is how things will play out, then we will have to recalculate and figure out a new way to do it,” Grady said.