Negotiations Underway Re Abandonment of Air Base 201 In Niger

[SASless]

Approximately 1,000 US Troops including Air Force and Army personnel are to be withdrawn from Air Base 201 near Niamey in Niger and the Base abandoned.

The evacuation plan is being negotiated with Niger government officials.

This withdrawal of forces shall have a detrimental effect upon anti-terrorism efforts in that part of Africa.

Reports that Russian personnel are arriving prior to the evacuation and are described as being intended to replace Wagner PMA personnel who have been active in Niger and surrounding areas.

The Air Base was constructed at a cost of 110 Million Dollars.

Let's hope there were some lessons learned that will carry over to this evacuation from events that surrounded the evacuation from Kabul.

https://justthenews.com/government/security/biden-removes-1000-military-personnel-niger-country-turns-toward-russia


Additional information in this article......

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/06/world/africa/niger-us-air-base.html

[downsizer]

This is really bad news for the region.

[Lonewolf_50]

The countries in that region probably don't care to be preached at despite some of the benefits that accrue with having those Military Missions in place.
If they no longer feel that having those deployed units on their territory to be in their interest, or in enough of their interest to balance against the downsides, then they exercise their sovereign right to invite the foreigners to leave.

I am with you SASless: I hope that the extraction / withdrawal is done in an orderly fashion and that the suits listen to the folks in uniform this time.
Not betting on the latter, though.

[downsizer]

The regimes want a partner who will help them ethincally cleanse, so Russia steps in where the US won't do that. Ultimately watch these regimes fall to instability and IS insurgencies.

[NutLoose]

I do hope they render it unusable when they leave, there is no point giving the Russians the base to operate from.

Hmmm I doubt they can

https://www.defenceweb.co.za/aerospace/aerospace-aerospace/us-hands-over-c-130-hangar-to-niger-at-air-base-201/