On July 16, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said that Berlin could not continue military cooperation with Niger due to a lack of trust in relations with the West African country's military government.
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| German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (left) during a visit to Ivory Coast on July 16. (Source: DPA) |
On July 6, Germany announced that it would end operations at its air base in Niger and withdraw about 30 remaining troops by August 31.
German news agency DW reported that during a visit to Ivory Coast and a joint press conference with the country's President Alassane Ouattara, Ms. Baerbock clearly stated: "It is impossible to continue providing security support to Niger as before because trust is no longer there."
However, the German Foreign Minister still pledged that Berlin "will not stop humanitarian aid, because the Nigerien people are not responsible for what happened".
Since a coup in July 2023 that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, Niger has been under military rule.
The regime has turned its back on other Western allies such as France and the United States. Niamey has demanded that Western countries with forces in Niger withdraw their troops.
In late May, Germany and Niger reached a temporary agreement allowing Berlin's military to continue operating an air base in the capital Niamey until the end of August. But talks to extend that agreement have failed, not least because the base's personnel would no longer enjoy immunity from prosecution.
There are currently about 90 German soldiers stationed at the Niamey base to operate the military air transport center.
Source: https://baoquocte.vn/chang-co-ngoai-le-duc-cung-phai-rut-het-quan-khoi-niger-berlin-noi-khong-the-tiep-tuc-vi-niem-tin-da-mat-278979.html
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