The U.S. military officially handed over control of its two strategic bases in Niger to local forces on Monday, marking the conclusion of a prolonged counterterrorism mission in West Africa. This transition comes at a time when violent extremism is on the rise in the region, raising concerns about future security.
A group of U.S. troops boarded an Air Force cargo plane, departing from a state-of-the-art $110 million air base located in central Niger, which was constructed with Pentagon funding. This event signifies the withdrawal of the last contingent of approximately 1,000 personnel that Washington had committed to extracting by September 15. However, a small number of troops will remain temporarily to finalize administrative tasks, according to military officials.
Relations between the United States and Niger, once characterized by strong collaboration, have deteriorated significantly following the military coup that ousted the civilian-led government last year. The junta’s decision to expel U.S. forces has compounded the challenges faced by American officials, who are now actively seeking new security partnerships in coastal West Africa. This shift is not isolated; military juntas in neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso have similarly mandated the withdrawal of U.S. and French troops in recent months.
Efforts to establish new alliances may be protracted, as extremist groups claiming allegiance to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State continue to threaten vast areas of the Sahel—a sprawling, semiarid region situated south of the Sahara Desert where U.S. counterterrorism initiatives have been concentrated.
“This development complicates our ability to safeguard U.S. security interests in the Sahel,” said Maj. Gen. Kenneth P. Ekman of the Air Force, the senior American officer overseeing the withdrawal. He spoke in a telephone interview from Niamey, the capital of Niger. “The dangers posed by ISIS and Al Qaeda in this region are escalating daily.”
Indeed, a recent report from the United Nations highlighted that “complete destabilization of the countries in the region in the medium term remains a possible risk,” underscoring the precarious security landscape that lies ahead.
