(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Niger’s new government has allowed Russians to enter an air base housing American troops in an apparent attempt to pressure the U.S. to withdraw from the African country.
Quoting an unnamed senior Defense Department official, Reuters reported on Thursday that Russian forces were not mingling with U.S. troops, but were using a separate hangar at Airbase 101, which is next to Diori Hamani International Airport in Niger’s capital.
“The move by Russia’s military … puts U.S. and Russian troops in close proximity at a time when the nations’ military and diplomatic rivalry is increasingly acrimonious over the conflict in Ukraine,” Reuters reported.
“It also raises questions about the fate of U.S. installations in the country following a withdrawal.”
Responding to the report, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin downplayed the development.
“The Russians are in a separate compound and don’t have access to U.S. forces or access to our equipment,” Austin reportedly told a press conference in Honolulu.
“I’m always focused on the safety and protection of our troops … But right now, I don’t see a significant issue here in terms of our force protection.”
Austin’s comments aside, Russians moving into a U.S.-occupied base is the latest indicator that the American empire is struggling to project power in Africa.
Indeed, Niger’s ruling junta ended an agreement last month that allows U.S. troops to operate in the West African country. The government of neighboring Chad in recent days also has moved to expel the U.S.
Niger apparently wants the U.S. out of its country so badly that it has stopped processing visas for them. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., whose office investigated Army whistleblower complaints about the situation in Niger, revealed last month that troops there are also experiencing water and medicine shortages.
Right now in Niger, the government has stopped the U.S. from doing diplomatic overflight missions.
We have Army soldiers in Niger who aren’t getting their troop rotations, their medicine, or even their basic supplies. I currently have constituents there who can’t even get clean… pic.twitter.com/DpMXb2AThY
— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) April 18, 2024
Gaetz accused Secretary of State Antony Blinken of covering up how bad the situation is in Niger because he called the country a “model democracy” last year—months before a coup took place.
Gaetz said he fears this coverup will lead to another Benghazi—the 2012 terrorist attack against two U.S. government facilities in Benghazi, Libya, which came after the Obama administration spearheaded a coup there.
“U.S. embassy Niger has been blocking the intelligence. I fear that as we speak, the conditions are forming for another Benghazi-style attack,” he said on the House floor this week.
Despite Gaetz’s seemingly valid concerns, the U.S. is now waffling on whether it will respect Niger’s sovereignty.
“There’s still negotiations underway,” Joint Chiefs Vice Chairman Adm. Christopher Grady, the nation’s second-highest-ranking military officer, said in an interview. “I don’t believe there is a final decision on disposition of U.S. forces there.”
Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at twitter.com/jd_cashless.
