| US military intervention in Niger | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part ofJihadist insurgency in Niger,War in the Sahel, and thewar on terror (Operation Juniper Shield) | |||||||
 U.S. and Nigerien soldiers training in April 2018 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
In support of: Niger(untilcoup d'état)  FranceOperation Barkhane (2014–23)[1][2] Training:  European UnionEUCAP Sahel Niger (2012–24)  CanadaOperation Naberius (2013–24)[3]  Belgium[4] Germany[5](2015–2024)[6]  Italy[7] |
| ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Emmanuel Macron(2017–2023) François Hollande(2014–2017) |
 Abu Umaimata | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 1,000 personnel[19] | ISIL-West Africa: ~3,500 fighters (April 2018) ISGS: ~300 fighters[20] | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
1 killed (non hostile) (while operating with the United States)[25] | 32 militants killed in two separate attacks[26][27] Unknown killed in other attacks between 2015 and 2017[28] Unknown killed by drone strikes in SouthernLibya At least 1 weapons cache | ||||||
TheUS military intervention in Niger was the deployment ofspecial operations forces andunmanned aerial vehicles by theUnited States in support of theNigerien government andFrench military incounter-terrorism operations against militant groups inNiger as part ofOperation Juniper Shield.[29] The deployment of U.S. forces in Niger and in the greaterWest Africa region involved the training of host nation partner forces, enhancement of host nation security assistance efforts, and facilitated counter-terrorism and surveillance and reconnaissance missions in support of host nation partner forces.[30] The U.S. deployeddrones from theAir Force andCIA in order to assist American and Nigerien forces in counter-terrorism operations, monitor routes used by militants inNiger into neighboring nations, and to assistoperations inLibya.[31][32][33]
The deployment of US troops in Niger had been largely unreported until the 2017Tongo Tongo ambush byIslamic State in the Greater Sahara militants left four American and four Nigerien soldiers dead.[34][35][36] The ambush created controversy in the public and media with many people asking as to why the US had so many troops acrossAfrica and specificallyNiger which at the time had more than 800 US personnel in country.[37]
In July 2023, theNigerien coup d'état occurred, leading to theNigerien crisis.
In April 2024, theUS Department of State agreed to pull out all 1,000 US troops from the country.[38] The Pentagon confirmed that US troops would complete their withdrawal from Niger by mid-September 2024.[39] The process was complete by 5 August 2024.[40]
After 11 years of US military presence, Jihadi groups linked to Al-Qaeda, the Islamic State group and Boko Haram remained still active with numerous attacks and dozens killed in Niger in 2023 and 2024.[15][16][17][18]
In the last several decades, theSahel region of sub-Saharan Africa has been heavily affected by the rise of Islamic terrorist groups and militias as a result of the region's porous borders, weak central governments, ethnic factionalism, and more recently an influx of arms following the collapse of theGaddafi regime inLibya.[41] Groups such asal-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb,Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, andMovement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa, among others have flourished in the region's sprawling and unpoliced deserts.[42] Niger has been a particularly violent hotbed of Islamic extremism and anti-government attacks. Kidnappings of Westerners in the country date back to as early as 2009 and the execution of a French hostage, Michel Germaneau, in 2010 led to a French declaration of war on AQIM and a greater involvement of French military forces in Niger.[43][44]
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The United States had been providing security assistance to Niger following theSeptember 11 attacks as part of thePan-Sahel Initiative which included the allocation of equipment to security forces and periodic training of Nigerien forces by U.S. troops.[45]
In January 2013, the United States and Niger signed a status of forces agreement to allow U.S. troops and aircraft to operate in Niger in a non-combat capacity in order to support French counterterrorism efforts.[46] Niger's president,Mahamadou Issoufou, welcomed the deployment citing various threats exploiting local government's inability to extend its control to rural areas.[47] According to U.S. and Nigerien officials, the deployment of unarmed Predator drones was to provide surveillance capabilities over Mali and Niger. The following month, the Obama administration deployed a force of about 100 U.S. troops to Niger in order to facilitate the drone operation in Niamey and partner with French intelligence.[48][49]
In 2018 theTrump Administration and theUnited States Africa Command laid out plans to withdraw around 25% of all US Military forces in Africa with around 10% withdrawing fromWest Africa so they could focus on threats fromRussia andChina while still remaining in the area.[50][51]
Between 2015 and 2017, American personnel had been involved in at least 10 firefights while operating with partner Nigeriens. In these past firefights excluding the October 2017ambush no American or Nigerien personnel were killed or wounded. In some of the attacks enemy combatants had been killed with at least 32 killed in the October and December 2017 incidents.
On October 4, 2017 a joint American and Nigerien force of 46 personnel and eight vehicles was ambushed outside the village ofTongo Tongo by an estimated force of over 50 militants with around 20 motorcycles and 12technicals from theIslamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS). During the firefight which lasted for more than three hours, four American, four Nigerien and at least 21 ISGS militants died and eight Nigerien and two Americans including the teams commander were wounded. The battle came to an end after FrenchMirage 2000 fighter jets and helicopters carrying 53 special forces and three Nigerien response elements of at least 100 soldiers and a helicopter reached the village, however the fight was over as the enemy had departed the area.
On December 6, 2017 two months after the October ambush a joint force of AmericanGreen Berets and Nigerien soldiers were attacked byIslamic State – West Africa Province militants in the Chad Lake basin Region. During the firefight 11 militants died including two wearing suicide vests, one weapons cache was also destroyed during the operation. No American or Nigerien soldiers were killed or wounded.[27]
On February 2, 2017, U.S. commando Shawn Thomas was killed and another injured in a non-combat vehicle accident in Niger.[52]
On December 9, 2018 a French soldier was killed and a US servicemember was injured in a car accident in northern Niger, nearArlit. Both the French and US military are probing the incident as drinking while driving related.[53]
In October 2016, American humanitarian Jeffrey Woodke was kidnapped from his home by armed men. He is believed to be held byJama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JMIN), and a ransom has been demanded.[54] He was released in 2023[55]
On 26 July 2023, The Presidential Guard of Niger detained PresidentMohamed Bazoum in acoup d'état, with presidential guard commander GeneralAbdourahamane Tchiani suspending the Nigerien constitution, and declaring himself to be the leader ofa new military junta.[56] This has sparkeda military crisis between the Nigerian Junta and the combined militaries of theEconomic Community of West African States, who are calling for a restoration of Bazoum's presidency.
On August 23, 2023, the junta announced that it will evict French and US troops from Niger even though the United States was trying to find ways to keep troops in the country to counter terrorists.[57][58]
In September 2023, French PresidentEmmanuel Macron announced that France will withdraw all 1,500 troops from Niger by the end of 2023, in the aftermath of the coup in the country.[1]
On December 22, 2023, France completed the withdrawal of its troops from Niger.[59]
On October 26, 2023, theU.S. Senate rejected legislation that would have forced PresidentJoe Biden to withdraw US troops from Niger.[60]
In March 2024, Niger's ruling military council, known as theCNSP, declared the suspension of a military agreement with the United States.[61] However,Pentagon officials stated that they have not yet formally received this request from Niger.[62]
On April 12, dozens of Russian military instructors have arrived in Niger as part of a new agreement with the country's junta.[14]
On April 19, theU.S. Department of State agreed to pull out all 1,000 US troops from the country.[63][38] On May 15, US and Nigerien officials met inNiamey to discuss and coordinate the forces withdrawal.[64] Pentagon confirmed that US troops will complete their withdrawal from Niger by mid-September 2024.[39]
On July 7, U.S. completed withdrawal of all troops from Air Base 101, while 500 remaining troops left Air Base 201 on August 5, 2024.[65][66]
The United States constructedNiger Air Base 201 in the city ofAgadez after the Nigerien government granted approval for the base in 2014. After several years of construction, the base began operations in 2019 and has since became the central hub U.S. operations in Niger, shifting away from Niamey. The air base has a 6,800 foot runway and cost approximately $110 million to complete. The base allowed U.S. drones to fly missions over the region and maintained the ability to accommodate large transport aircraft such as theC-17 Globemaster.[67][68]
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