Following France’s decision that it will remove its troops from the nation by the end of the year, Washington will “consider all future steps” regarding its military presence in Niger, the US Secretary of Defense said on Monday.
“While giving diplomacy a chance, we will also continue to explore all future steps that will prioritize both our diplomatic and security objectives,” Lloyd Austin said at a press conference in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, where he is now on a visit.
The French ambassador in Niamey will return to Paris on Sunday, and the 1,500 French troops stationed there will leave the country. These announcements were made by President Emmanuel Macron.
“We are ending our military cooperation with the de facto authorities in Niger, because they no longer want to fight terrorism,” said the French president.
In order to combat the presence of terrorist organizations in the area, the US has about 1,100 troops stationed in Niger.
“We have not made any significant changes to the positioning of our forces and (…) we really want a diplomatic solution, a peaceful outcome”, assured the US Secretary of Defense, who refused to comment on Paris’ decision.
The Pentagon had announced on September 7 that it was repositioning its troops “as a precaution”, transferring some soldiers from a base in the capital Niamey to an air base further north.
The United States said on September 14 that it has resumed surveillance flights over Niger, which had been suspended following the military takeover in late July. A Pentagon spokesman indicated that the remainder of its military activities in the nation were still on hold.
Following the expulsion of France by unfriendly juntas from Mali and Burkina Faso, where it had previously been one of Paris’ last allies in the Sahel, French forces are now leaving Niger. Mohamed Bazoum, the elected president of Niger, was overthrown on July 26.
