By Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Russian military personnel have entered an air base in Niger that hosts U.S. troops, a senior U.S. defense official told Reuters, a move that follows a decision by Niger’s junta to expel U.S. forces from the country.
Military officials who govern the West African country have told the US to withdraw its nearly 1,000 troops from the country, which until last year’s coup had been a key partner in Washington’s fight against insurgents who have killed thousands of people and displaced others. millions.
A senior U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Russian forces were not mixing with U.S. troops but using a separate hangar at Air Base 101, which is next to Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey, capital of Niger.
The move by the Russian military places US and Russian troops in close proximity, at a time when military and diplomatic rivalry between the nations is increasingly fierce over the conflict in Ukraine.
It also raises questions about the fate of US facilities in the country following a withdrawal.
“(The situation) is not great, but it is manageable in the short term,” the official said.
The Niger and Russian embassies in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The US and its allies were forced to withdraw troops from several African countries following coups d’état that brought to power groups eager to distance themselves from Western governments. In addition to the imminent departure from Niger, US troops have also left Chad in recent days, while French forces have been expelled from Mali and Burkina Faso.
At the same time, Russia seeks to strengthen relations with African nations, presenting Moscow as a friendly country, without colonial baggage on the continent.
Mali, for example, has in recent years become one of Russia’s closest African allies, with the Wagner Group mercenary force moving there to fight jihadist insurgents.
Russia has described relations with the United States as “below zero” due to US military and financial aid to Ukraine in the war now approaching the end of its second year.
The US official said Nigerien authorities told President Joe Biden’s administration that around 60 Russian troops would be in Niger, but the official was unable to verify that number.
After the coup, the US military transferred some of its forces in Niger from Air Base 101 to Air Base 201 in the city of Agadez. It was not immediately clear what U.S. military equipment remained at Air Force Base 101.
The United States built Air Base 201 in central Niger at a cost of more than $100 million. Since 2018, it has been used to target fighters from the Islamic State and Al Qaeda affiliate Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM) with armed drones.
Washington is concerned about Islamic militants in the Sahel region, who may be able to expand without the presence of US forces and intelligence capabilities.
Niger’s decision to request the removal of US troops followed a meeting in Niamey in mid-March when senior US officials raised concerns, including the expected arrival of Russian forces and reports that Iran was seeking raw materials in the country, including uranium.
While the U.S. message to Nigerien authorities was not an ultimatum, the official said, it was clear that U.S. forces could not be on a base with Russian forces.
“They didn’t take it very well,” the employee said.
A two-star American general was sent to Niger to try to organize a professional and responsible withdrawal.
Although no decision has been made about the future of US troops in Niger, the official said the plan was for them to return to US Africa Command bases located in Germany.
(Reporting by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali; additional reporting by Daphne Psaledakis; writing by Idrees Ali; editing by Don Durfee and Daniel Wallis)
