US military completes withdrawal from last base in Niger
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00:00200 American soldiers left Niger this week after the handover of the last U.S. base in
00:08the country. Troops had been stationed near Ragadès in the north at base 201, where U.S.
00:14presence began in 2016, but had been quickly wrapped up following Niger's announcement
00:19in March of the end of military cooperation with Washington. 800 U.S. soldiers from another
00:26base left Niger last month, and only a handful of mainly administrative personnel now remain.
00:32But Niger's military says the relationship will continue to evolve.
00:37This withdrawal does not mean the end of military cooperation between the two countries. Both
00:47are now committed to maintaining contact and working together to find the foundations of
00:53a new military partnership.
00:57Over the past decade, U.S. troops have trained Niger's forces and supported partner-led counterterrorism
01:05missions against Islamic State and al-Qaeda in the region.
01:10Some Nigerians have long opposed foreign intervention and accused the U.S. military of being ineffective.
01:18We said it back then. The presence of American soldiers on our soil has led to nothing. It
01:23has not contributed anything in the fight against terrorism.
01:28Others take a more moderate stance. The USA has gifted Niger three C-130 military aircraft,
01:35which are great for transporting equipment and for surveillance.
01:40We can't say they haven't helped, as we acquired military equipment with their support. Even
01:46the C-130s. So we can't deny that. But the results have been mixed.
01:53But the results have left most Nigerians dissatisfied. The military regime has also struggled to
01:59rein the operations of armed terror groups, who in 2024 have only ramped up attacks.