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Both Chad and Niger have been integral to the U.S. military’s efforts to counter violent extremist organizations across the Sahel region. Niger’s junta ended an agreement last month that allows U.S. troops to operate in the West African country.
The U.S. military plans to return to Chad within a month for talks about revising an agreement that allows it to keep troops based there, an American military source revealed.
The U.S. said last month it was withdrawing most of its contingent of about 100 troops from Chad after the government questioned the legality of their operations there. This followed Niger’s decision to order all U.S. troops out of the country, dealing a blow to U.S. military operations in the Sahel, a vast region south of the Sahara Desert where groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group operate.
U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley, the commander of U.S. Africa Command, told reporters in Ghana at the second annual African Maritime Forces Summit (AMFS). He said the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Chad was expected to be temporary, and Chad had communicated to Washington that it wanted to continue the security partnership after the presidential election there.
Chad’s interim president, Mahamat Deby Itno, seized power after his father, who ran the country for more than three decades, was killed fighting rebels in 2021. Last year, the government announced it was extending the 18-month transition for two more years, which led to protests across the country.
Both Chad and Niger have been integral to the U.S. military’s efforts to counter violent extremist organizations across the Sahel region. Niger’s junta ended an agreement last month that allows U.S. troops to operate in the West African country. Niger is home to a major U.S. air base, in the city of Agadez, about 920 kilometers (550 miles) from the capital, Niamey, using it for manned and unmanned surveillance flights and other operations. The U.S. has also invested hundreds of millions of dollars in training Niger’s military since it began operations there in 2013.
