Following the overthrow of the elected leader, the expulsion of French forces, and the coup leaders’ march toward Russia, a US general and other high-ranking officials paid a visit to the ruling junta in Niger on Tuesday.
The delegation visiting Niger through Wednesday included US Africa Command head General Michael Langley, according to the State Department.
The US team will confer with the junta on “Niger’s return to a democratic path and the future of our security and development partnership,” according to a succinct statement released by the State Department.
At a $100 million drone facility in the desert, the US still maintains some 1,000 soldiers, despite the fact that since the coup, Washington has reduced aid to the government and restricted migration.
A year ago, Secretary of State Antony Blinken made an uncommon trip to Niger with the intention of supporting Mohamed Bazoum, the country’s elected president and a steadfast partner in Western security operations against extremists.
Bazoum was removed from office by the military and placed under house arrest four months later. France, the previous colonial power, was forced to remove its troops for over ten years as a result of the junta’s strong stance against them.
The military of Niger, which has collaborated extensively with the US, has not called for a comparable withdrawal of US personnel.
Although Mali and Burkina Faso, two neighboring countries governed by the military, have fully embraced Moscow, the junta has nevertheless attempted to work with Moscow.
Molly Phee, the senior State Department official for Africa, and Celeste Wallander, the assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, are also traveling to Niger with the entourage.