Niger’s ruling junta ended an agreement that let US military staff operate from a $110 million drone base, paving the way for Russian troops to move in. The military leaders revoked the deal with “immediate effect,” seen as ending the US presence in the sub-Saharan country. The decision is a setback to Washington, which had been forced to suspend operations at Air Base 201 in Agadez after a July coup and was pushing to keep its most strategic military asset in the region afloat.
The US has about 1,000 troops in Niger as part of an effort to battle Islamist insurgency in Sahel region and Libya. The decision followed a three-day visit by a US delegation looking at how to resume operations led by assistant secretary of state for African affairs Molly Phee.