The Pentagon announced on Friday that the United States has not yet made a decision on the withdrawal of its troops from Niger.
Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder stated that “no decisions have been made on the exit of US troops at this stage, and as far as I know, negotiations are underway now,” and declined to comment on Niger’s statement that “the United States will present a plan to withdraw its troops from the country.”
The New York Times quoted a senior US Defense Department official as saying that “the United States is seeking clarifications” after the decision of the military junta in Niger to cancel the military cooperation agreement with Washington.
Assistant Secretary of Defense Celeste A. Wallander stressed that “the junta’s statements may not be as dangerous as initially thought” and that U.S. officials are “working to find a way to stay in the country.”
U.S. security analysts have warned that the junta’s decision to scrap the deal could be particularly damaging in the region, as a result of a series of other coups on the African continent.
Withdrawal of the first US army groups from Niger