US moves out troops, conducts 'precautionary' repositioning of forces in Niger

The United States is shifting some of its troops from a base in Niamey, the capital city of Niger to another place in the Agadez area, said the Pentagon on Thursday. In Niger, the rebel officers came to power in a July coup.

Washington's 1,100 military personnel are present in Niger. However, the Defence Department said that the officer was largely present on bases while curtailing activities like joint training after Niger's military takeover,

The United States "is repositioning some of our personnel and some of our assets from Air Base 101 in Niamey to Air Base 201 in Agadez," said Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh, while speaking to journalists.

"There's no immediate threat to US personnel or violence on the ground," she stated while describing the step as a "precautionary measure." A "small group" of personnel are still going to remain at Air Base 101 following the step which is ongoing currently, said Singh.

She further stated that "some non-essential personnel and contractors" had departed previously from the country. Niger was the key base for both French and American anti-militant operations, and the repositioning of US troops comes after an official of the French defence ministry said that Niger and Paris have been holding talks on withdrawing "elements", which mark its presence, there.

Move not linked toFrench actions

For days, rallies were organised in Niger which appealed to the former colonial ruler of the country, France, to remove its forces. Meanwhile, earlier this week, military-appointed Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine said that "contacts" were underway to ensure a "very swift" departure for troops in Paris.

However, Singh stated that there is "no tie" between "what the French military is doing right now” and the move of the United States. On July 26, Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum was dethroned by some members of his guard and later was detained by coup leaders, along with his family.

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Niger has been facing a hard reaction from the West African bloc ECOWAS after a number of coups in the region, and the latter has been threatening to use force for restoring civilian rule.

Troops also took power in Burkina Faso and Mali, where similar to Niger, losses continued to surge in the armed forces amid the long-running militant insurgency.

Speaking about past comments of the US, Singh said that they are hopeful that Niger will be able to find a negotiated solution to the situation. "We are hopeful that diplomatic talks will continue and that the situation in Niger will be resolved diplomatically," she stated.

(With inputs from agencies)

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