Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Niger breaks off military cooperation with US, as junta moves closer to Russia.
Russian military personnel have entered an air base in Niger that is hosting U.S. troops.
The military officers ruling the West African nation have told the U.S. to withdraw its nearly 1,000 military personnel from the country, which until a coup last year had been a key partner for Washington's fight against insurgents who have killed thousands of people and displaced millions more.
Abdramane said the status and presence of U.S. troops in Niger was illegal and violated constitutional and democratic rules.
Russia will come in and take their natural resources if they have any, conscript their younger men for their own purposes and try to keep a puppet government in place for themselves..
The bases commenced in the early 2000s, and were at peak operations in 2017.
At the peak of operations, around 2017, American forces were providing intelligence about armed groups as well as medical and logistical support on “kill and capture” missions led by the Nigerien troops, said Alan Van Saun, the company commander of a Special Forces battalion from summer 2017 to February 2018. He said all operations were carried out at the request of the Nigerien military and with permission from the U.S. Embassy in Niger, which differentiated the mission from those in Iraq or Afghanistan, where the U.S. military had more autonomy.
Another military coup came about in the summer of 2023, which was successful, and Mohamed Bazoum has been held captive since then.
Obviously there are people who don't want the citizens of Niger in control of selecting it's leaders. They also don't want to work w/ the Americans who were working with the elected administration.
Russia's Wagner mercenary group is "taking advantage" of instability in Niger, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has told the BBC.
The country has been ruled by a junta following the ousting of President Mohamed Bazoum nearly two weeks ago.
There have been suggestions the coup leaders have asked for help from Wagner, which is known to be present in neighbouring Mali.
Mr Blinken said he did not think Russia or Wagner instigated Niger's coup.
...
"I think what happened, and what continues to happen in Niger was not instigated by Russia or by Wagner, but... they tried to take advantage of it.
"Every single place that this Wagner group has gone, death, destruction and exploitation have followed," said Mr Blinken.
Someone explain to me how any Swamper in the U.S. gov't will blame Russia for just about everything - but not in this case.
Mr Bazoum, who is currently being detained, has also spoken of his concerns about Wagner's influence in Africa.
"With an open invitation from the coup plotters and their regional allies, the entire central Sahel region could fall to Russian influence via the Wagner Group, whose brutal terrorism has been on full display in Ukraine," he wrote in an opinion piece for the Washington Post published last week.
Niger has uranium and Russia would love to be in control of it. That's how Wagner works. They have ties to military groups and control the highly sought minerals of the earth.
I wonder if the BidenAdmin is doing Russia a favor by handing over Niger to them. It wouldn't be the first time Russia has benefited from the BidenAdmin with regards to uranium interests.
Maybe the USA should work to overthrow the military junta that deposed the democratically elected and US supported President of Niger Mohamed Bazoum in 2023? That’s when the anti-American policy started.
"Instability" and "Africa" sort of go together in my mind. Friends today, enemies tomorrow.
Russians, in particular, have this knack for screwing things up. The natural gas market in Europe is a good example. Here, Russia has the largest deposit of natural gas in the world, had pipelines built to their largest customer and now it is all gone.
Russia also had a large natural gas project in the far north called LNG 2. It has now been cancelled due to sanctions. Investors have pulled out.
Resources in Niger?.... Russia will screw it up and become an enemy of Niger, in time.
Niger breaks off military cooperation with US, as junta moves closer to Russia.
Russian military personnel have entered an air base in Niger that is hosting U.S. troops.
The military officers ruling the West African nation have told the U.S. to withdraw its nearly 1,000 military personnel from the country, which until a coup last year had been a key partner for Washington's fight against insurgents who have killed thousands of people and displaced millions more.
Abdramane said the status and presence of U.S. troops in Niger was illegal and violated constitutional and democratic rules.
According to Wiki, the U.S. was first to break off relations with Niger.
Quote:
Late on 26 July 2023, a coup by the military overthrew Bazoum, putting an end to the Seventh Republic and the government of Prime Minister Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou.[90] On 28 July, General Abdourahamane Tchiani was proclaimed as the de facto head of state of the country.[91] Former finance minister Ali Lamine Zeine was declared the new Prime Minister of Niger.[92]
... In October the U.S. officially designated the takeover as a coup, suspending most Niger–U.S. military cooperation as well as hundreds of millions of dollars of foreign assistance programs.[101] In April 2024, Russian military trainers and equipment began to arrive in Niger under a new military agreement,[102] and the U.S. agreed to withdraw troops from Niger[103] following the termination of a Niger–U.S. agreement that had allowed U.S. personnel to be stationed in the country.[104]
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
