Solar Energy News
AFRICA NEWS
Niger says US to submit plan to 'disengage' troops
Niger says US to submit plan to 'disengage' troops
by AFP Staff Writers
Niamey, Niger (AFP) Mar 27, 2024

Niger on Wednesday said the United States will shortly submit a proposal to "disengage" its soldiers from the country, after the regime said it was withdrawing from a 2012 cooperation deal with Washington.

Interior minister General Mohamed Toumba met US ambassador Kathleen FitzGibbon on Wednesday to discuss the issue, his ministry said in Niamey, the West African nation's capital.

FitzGibbon told the minister that Washington had "taken note of the decision" by Niger to withdraw from the military agreement and would be "coming back with a plan" on the "methods for disengaging" the more than 1,000 US troops based in Niger, according to the ministry's statement.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller declined to comment on the Nigerien interior ministry's assertion and said the status of US troops remained "broadly" the same for now.

The United States has been "in touch with the transition authorities to seek clarification" on statements about the troops, Miller told reporters.

"We have been having these conversations, but I don't think it would be productive for me to read them out," he added.

Niamey's announcement that it is breaking with the United States came on Saturday after a three-day visit by a senior US delegation to renew contact with the junta.

In mid-March, Niger said that the 2012 cooperation agreement had been "unilaterally imposed" by Washington.

US troops have been stationed at a $100 billion desert drone base to combat the jihadist violence plaguing much of West Africa.

After General Abdourahamane Tiani seized power in a July coup, the regime ousted troops from former colonial power France and sought deeper military and political partnerships with Russia.

Neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso made similar moves and joined a joint defence pact with Niger, exiting the wider West African bloc ECOWAS.

Tiani on Tuesday spoke by telephone with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the "strengthening" of their security agreements after Moscow announced in mid-January its intention to "intensify" military cooperation.

A Russian delegation also visited Niger last December.

Niger regime chief talks 'security cooperation' with Putin
Niamey, Niger (AFP) Mar 26, 2024 - The head of Niger's military regime General Abdourahamane Tiani spoke on Tuesday by telephone to Russian President Vladimir Putin about "strengthening security cooperation", according to an official communique.

The two countries had already agreed in January to strengthen military ties when Niger Prime Minister Ali Lamine Zeine led a delegation to Moscow.

Niger, one of the world's poorest countries, had been a frontline partner of the West in battling jihadists in the Sahel but has embraced Russia as a fledgling defence partner since the elected president was ousted last year.

The two heads of state "talked of the need for strengthening security cooperation... to face current threats," said the Nigerien communique read out on public radio.

They also discussed "projects for multi-sector and global strategic cooperation," it added without further explanation.

A statement from the Kremlin added the two expressed "readiness to start a political dialogue and to develop mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields".

"There was also an exchange of views on the situation in the Sahara and Sahel regions, with an emphasis on coordinating actions to ensure security and combat terrorism," Moscow said.

General Tiani, who has led Niger since the July coup, thanked Putin for Russia's "support" for the Sahel country and its struggle for national sovereignty.

A Russian delegation also visited Niger last December.

The United States still stations some 1,000 troops in Niger although movements have been limited since the coup and Washington has curbed assistance to the government.

A senior US delegation went to Niamey in mid-March to renew contact with the junta, but said they failed to meet Tiani.

The new regime has denounced military cooperation with the West, shunning colonial ties with France.

Niger had previously been an important base for France's military efforts to quell Islamist extremism stemming from the Sahel region.

Niger joined neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso at the start of the month in announcing the creation of a joint force to battle the long-running jihadist rebellions raging in the three nations.

They had announced in January their intention to withdraw from regional bloc the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Related Links
Africa News - Resources, Health, Food

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
AFRICA NEWS
Seven Chadian soldiers killed in mine blast
N'Djamena (AFP) Mar 26, 2024
Seven Chadian soldiers were killed when their vehicle hit a landmine in a lawless region where jihadist groups including Nigeria's Boko Haram and an Islamic State offshoot are active. President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno said several other soldiers were injured in Monday's blast in Tchoukou Telia in the restive Lake Chad region, about 200 kilometres (125 miles) from the capital N'Djamena. "Their vehicle struck a mine while they were patrolling," he said. "Seven soldiers were killed and several oth ... read more

AFRICA NEWS
Transforming CO2 into green fuel with innovative sunlight-powered catalyst

Tripling the US Bioeconomy: The Billion-Ton Report's Blueprint for Sustainable Biomass

Turning CO2 into Methanol at Room Temperature

Greenhouse gas repurposed in University of Auckland experiments

AFRICA NEWS
Engineering household robots to have a little common sense

ESA to build digital Chat assistant powered by EO data

White House sets policies for federal AI use

3D-Printed Brain Phantom Pioneers Advanced Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases

AFRICA NEWS
Swedish-Belgian group wins Norway's first offshore wind license

Wind-powered Dutch ship sets sail for greener future

Leaf-shaped generators create electricity from the wind and rain

European offshore wind enjoys record year in 2023

AFRICA NEWS
China's competitive car market at heart of global EV revolution

China's Xiaomi enters car market with new electric vehicle

Green truckin': US finalizes new heavy-vehicle pollution standards

China files WTO complaint over US electric vehicle subsidies

AFRICA NEWS
Dig deep: US bets on geothermal to become renewable powerhouse

Setting a laser like sight on a path to practical fusion

Unveiling a new class of plasma waves: implications for fusion energy

KULR Technology Secures Key Contract with Nanoracks to Boost Space Battery Innovation

AFRICA NEWS
France eyes spent uranium plant to bypass Russia: ministry

Future nuclear power reactors could rely on molten salts - but what about corrosion?

GE Vernova and UK Industry Explore Small Modular Reactor Deployment at Sheffield Conference

Russian strike severs power line to Ukraine nuclear plant

AFRICA NEWS
Research highlights Australia's carbon credit 'catastrophe'

Iraq to import electricity from Jordan

Poorer countries need money before raising climate targets: COP29 head

Sweden off-track to meet climate goals: expert agency

AFRICA NEWS
Europe's overlooked Aspen forests: key to enhancing biodiversity and climate resilience

Planting trees in wrong places heats the planet: study

Presidents of Brazil, France announce green investment plan on Amazon visit

Brazil's Indigenous people turn to EU to save their savanna

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.