The Niger Republic’s military government has declared the termination of a military agreement with the United States that permitted the operation of a drone base housing approximately 700 troops in the northern region of the West African nation.
In a late-night announcement, Colonel Amadou Abdramane, the junta’s spokesperson, alleged that a US delegation, which visited Niamey earlier in the week and engaged in discussions with junta leaders, accused Niger of clandestinely arranging to supply uranium to Iran.
Colonel Abdramane, in the televised announcement, labelled the accusation as “cynical” and drew parallels to the events preceding the second Iraq war. He emphasised that the US presence in the Republic of Niger violated constitutional and democratic principles, asserting that such matters should have been subject to consultation with the sovereign people.
This development occurs amidst the junta’s alignment with Russia and follows the expulsion of French troops from the Niger Republic three months ago.
The US employs the base in Agadez for monitoring regional jihadist activities. Matthew Miller, a State Department spokesperson, stated on X, formerly Twitter, that the US government acknowledges the statement and remains in communication with the junta. He assured me that further updates regarding the situation would be provided.
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