Liam Conner
Russian military personnel have entered an air base in Niger where some U.S. troops are located, two U.S. officials confirmed to CBS News on Thursday. The Russians have been in Niger for several weeks while the U.S. negotiate withdrawal of its troops from two air bases in the country, one of the officials said.
A second official described the Russians as trainers and said they were located about two miles from where a small number of U.S. troops are based at Niamey international airport. Most of the approximately 1,000 US troops still in Niger are at a second air base, around 800 kilometers from the capital, in the city of Agadez.
Asked on Friday about the Russian deployment, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow that Russia was “developing ties with a number of African countries in all areas, including the military,” adding that these nations “are interested in this, we are also interested in this and we will continue to develop our relations with African states.”
Before a coup in Niger in July 2023 led to demands that U.S. troops leave the country, the U.S. used the two bases to fly drones on counterterrorism missions in North Africa’s vast Sahel region, where political unrest and weak central governments have allowed terrorist groups, including Al Qaeda and ISIS affiliates, to gain footholds.
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The Russian presence at the base comes amid growing tension between Washington and Moscow over US support for Ukraine for more than two years. The ongoing invasion of Russia from the neighboring country.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, speaking Thursday in Hawaii, downplayed the risks of U.S. and Russian forces being relatively close to the sprawling base in Niger, however, telling reporters that “the Russians are in a separate complex and do not have access to U.S. forces or access to our equipment.”
“I’m always focused on the safety and security of our troops,” Austin said, “but at this point I don’t see a significant issue here in terms of protecting our force.”
In October, Washington officially designated the military takeover as a coup d’état, triggering US laws restricting the provision of military support and aid to Niger. Since then, diplomatic efforts to restore ties with Niger have been unsuccessful.
The region around Niger has suffered six successful coups in the last three years alone. The governing boards of Guinea, Mali and Burkina Faso have issued statements of support for Niger’s new military leaders. Burkina Faso and Mali were the first to turn to the Russian mercenary company formerly known as Wagner Group for military training and support.
A few months after Niger’s coup, its ruling junta also asked French forces to leave and turned to Wagner, now controlled by the Russian state, for security assistance.
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Until recently, Washington considered Niger a key partner and ally in a region swept by coups d’état in recent years, investing millions of dollars in the Agadez base, which has been key to US counter-terrorism operations in the Sahel. The US has also invested hundreds of millions of dollars in training Niger’s armed forces since it began operations in the country in 2013.
The Pentagon also said the U.S. will redeploy most of the roughly 100 troops it has deployed to neighboring Chad for now. Chad is also considering whether to continue its security agreement with the US
Report contributed by Eleanor Watson
