US Completes Withdrawal From Last Base in Niger

The US military announced Monday that its forces have completed a withdrawal from Air Base 201 in Niger well ahead of a September 15 deadline for US forces to exit the country.

“The US Department of Defense and the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Niger announce that the withdrawal of US forces and assets from Air Base 201 in Agadez is complete,” the Pentagon and Niger’s Defense Ministry said in a joint statement.

“The effective cooperation and communication between the US and Nigerien armed forces ensured that this turnover was finished ahead of schedule and without complications,” the statement added.

According to The New York Times, a small number of US troops remain at the US Embassy in Niger that will be leaving once they finish administrative duties. The US began withdrawing approximately 1,000 military personnel from Niger in June and finished pulling troops out of its other base in the country, Air Base 101, in July.

Air Base 201 served as a major drone hub for the US in the Sahel region and cost the US over $100 million to build. The US is looking to establish a similar base elsewhere in Africa and is reportedly in talks about the possibility with Benin, Ivory Coast, and Ghana, but there’s no sign that a deal has been reached.

The US stopped cooperating with Niger’s military following the July 2023 coup that ousted former president Mohamed Bazoum. The US was looking to stay in the country but was asked to leave following a meeting with the military-led government, known as the known as the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP), back in March.

Nigerien Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine said the US was asked to leave due to threats made by US officials in the meeting about Niger’s relationship with Russia and Iran.