Hommam Al Nassim 
More than 269 out of 946 American soldiers stationed in Niger have left, after the signing of an agreement between Washington and the military junta in Niamey last May.
This announcement came through a joint statement issued yesterday, Friday, and signed by Colonel Mamman Sani Kyaw, Commander of the Nigerian Land Forces, and Major General Kenneth Eckman of the US Department of Defense.
This development was announced during a ceremony held at “Military Base 101” in Niamey, which witnessed the official launch of the first phase of the withdrawal of American military personnel and equipment.
Washington and Niamey had previously announced that the process of withdrawing US forces would end by September 15 “at the latest,” while emphasizing the implementation of the agreement that had already begun, and a joint committee was formed to facilitate coordination between the two parties.
The two sides pledged to make every effort to make the withdrawal process a success and stressed the continuation of cooperation in areas of common interest, indicating that this withdrawal will not affect the current relations between the two countries.
It is noteworthy that the military junta in Niamey, which came to power following a political transformation on July 26, canceled the military cooperation agreement with the United States last March, demanding the withdrawal of French and American forces.
American cooperation with Niger in the field of development aid is expected to continue, as a new agreement worth $500 million was signed over three years, according to what the Nigerien Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.
Last April, Washington agreed to withdraw its forces from Niger, where about 650 American soldiers were stationed in addition to hundreds of contractors.
The American military presence in Niger began in 2012 when the United States signed a military cooperation agreement with Niger. Since then, about 1,100 American soldiers have participated in the fight against jihadists in the Sahel region and they have a large drone base in Agadez.
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