The speaker of the junta that seized power in Niger suggested that the United States does not like the allies chosen by Niger.
Niger's military junta , which seized power in this country in West Africa and is pursuing a policy of rapprochement with Russia, announced the termination of the agreement that allowed the deployment of American military personnel in the country.
This is reported by the BBC with reference to a statement by junta speaker Colonel Amadou Abdramane on national television.
“The presence of the United States on the territory of the Republic of Niger is illegal and violates all constitutional and democratic norms requiring a sovereign people… to consult on the deployment of a foreign army on its territory,” he said, in particular.
According to Colonel Abdramane, the American delegation that arrived in the country accused Niger of concluding a secret agreement with Iran on the supply of uranium, which is rich in the subsoil of this country. He called the accusation “cynical” and “reminiscent of the second war in Iraq.” >
The US is using its military base in Niger to monitor regional jihadist activity. There are believed to be at least 650 US troops in the country.
As previously reported, the army in Niger overthrew elected President Mohamed Bazoum in July 2023. During the coup, anti-French sentiment was growing in this African country, caused by its previous colonial status. French troops helping fight the jihadists left Niger in December 2023.
At the same time, Niger is moving closer to Russia – the juntas of Mali and Burkina Faso did the same earlier. Last December, junta-appointed Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamin Zeine visited Moscow to discuss military and economic ties.
Recall that on July 30, 2023, thousands of fans of the junta that took over Niger during a coup earlier this week marched through the streets of the capital Niamey. They waved Russian flags and chanted the name of the Russian president as they headed to the embassy of France, whose colony this African state used to be.
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