DIGIVESTASI - Niger's military government announced that it has officially terminated an agreement with the United States that allESTASowed military and civilian personnel from the Ministry of Defense to operate in Niger.  The decision comes days after high-level talks with US diplomats and military officials last week.

"The Government of Niger, taking into account the aspirations and interests of its people, has decided, with full responsibility, to immediately terminate the Agreement on the Status of U.S. Military Personnel and Service Personnel of the U.S. Department of Defense on the Territory of the Republic of Niger." Niger's spokesman said. Niger. "Niger" said Nigerian Army spokesman Colonel Amadou Abdullahman in a statement. A statement on state television quoted by CNN International.

Abdramaneh added that the agreement between the two countries, signed in 2012, applies to Niger and violates the West African country's "constitutional and democratic rules" regarding sovereignty. 

"This agreement is not only grossly unfair in its content, but also inconsistent with the wishes and interests of the Niger people," he said.  The announcement comes after a high-level US delegation paid a three-day visit to Niger this week. Abdullahmane said the US delegation was greeted "politely" and "did not respect diplomatic conventions" by not providing information on the date of arrival, the composition of the delegation or the purpose of the visit. 

During the meeting, Nigerian and US officials discussed Niger's military transition and military cooperation between the two countries, Abdullahmane said. 

"The Nigerien government deplores the US delegation's disregard for the right of Nigerien citizens to freely choose their partners and partnerships that truly help in the fight against terrorism," Abdullahmane said. 

Abdulrahman said Niger unequivocally condemns the condescending attitude of the United States. "This attitude is likely to damage the quality of our century-old relationship and undermine the trust between our two governments." 

He also denied allegations of secret deals between Niger, Russia and Iran.  
Niger was once an important regional partner for the United States, but relations between the two countries have deteriorated since July 2023, when a military regime took power in what the United States officially described as a coup. 

Since then, the United States has withdrawn most of its 1,100 troops stationed in Niger. Senior Pentagon officials believe that maintaining a presence in Niger is critical to counterterrorism efforts in the region. In October, the Pentagon said it was still assessing how the changes would impact the approximately 1,000 US soldiers stationed in the country. 

President Joe Biden stated in his letter to Congress in December 2023 that about 648 US military personnel were still stationed in Niger.

Find more news and articles on Google News