US military departs last Nigerien air base - Washington Examiner

The Department of Defense announced on Monday it has withdrawn from its last military base in the African country of Niger. The DOD said the “withdrawal of U.S. forces and assets from Air Base 201 in Agadez is complete” in a joint statement with Niger’s defense ministry… The two sides have set a deadline of Sept. 15 for the complete withdrawal. The U.S.-Nigerien military relationship was complicated by last year’s military coup and the junta’s rise to power. The U.S. spent more than $100 million to build Air Base 201 and finished it five years ago. The base had been key for the military’s counterterrorism efforts in Africa, and U.S. officials have pursued other options for continuing those missions without a Nigerien presence. Niger is among a group of several African countries to experience military coups in recent years, some of which have led those nations to sever ties with the U.S. Gabon, Niger, and Sudan have experienced military uprisings, while other military leaders have seized power in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Chad in recent years. The U.S. withdrawal also comes amid a surge in terrorism in the continent. Sahel region’s share of global terrorist-related deaths rose dramatically from 2007 to 2022, in which the percentage increased from 1% to 43%