Nigeriens reject US military presence, demand immediate departure: summary

What we know

• In a mass demonstration in Niger’s capital on Saturday, hundreds of protesters demanded the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country. The protest comes after Niger’s junta terminated a military agreement with the United States and welcomed Russian military instructors.

• Marching through central Niamey, the demonstrators waved Nigerien flags, echoing previous anti-French protests that led to the withdrawal of French forces from Niger last year following a coup by the army.

• They wielded placards with inscriptions including “USA rush out of Niger,” expressing solidarity with the junta’s decision to revoke the military accord that permitted around 1,000 U.S. military personnel to operate in Niger from two bases.

• Before the coup, Niger had been a crucial security partner for France and the United States, serving as a base for international efforts to combat Islamist insurgency in the Sahel region. However, the new authorities in Niger have followed the lead of neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso in terminating military agreements with former Western allies.

• Meanwhile, the fate of U.S. troops in Niger remains uncertain, with indications that there may still be internal support within the junta for a continued U.S. military presence despite the termination of the military accord.

What they said

A protester, Maria Saley is quoted by Reuters to have said "We're here to say no to the American base, we don't want Americans on our soil.” "We must not subsequently see the implementation of Russian foreign military bases," said Abdoulaye Seydou, the coordinator of the M62 coalition of civil society groups that led anti-French protests last year. A student Souleymane Ousmane also shared his concerns "This is how the French and the Americans and all the other countries settled in Niger — from military cooperation, they ended up occupying large parts of our country."