Negotiations fail, German Army to leave air base in Niger

The German military (Bundeswehr) will end operations at its air base in Niger by August 31 after talks with the Sahel country's military government (junta) failed, the German Defense Ministry said on July 6.

Accordingly, all Bundeswehr soldiers stationed at the base will be withdrawn by August 31 and Germany's military cooperation with Niger will end, the German Defense Ministry added.

The German military has used the base in Niger's capital Niamey since 2013 as a supply hub for its armed forces in neighbouring Mali, stationed there as part of a United Nations peacekeeping mission.

The breakdown in talks marks Niger's latest diplomatic shift away from the West since a coup last July that ousted elected President Mohamed Bazoum and brought the current military leadership to power.

Nigerian security personnel stand guard at an air base in the capital Niamey. Photo: Getty Images

US soldiers at Air Base 101 in Niamey, Niger, May 30, 2024. Photo: Arab News

Since then, Niger has moved closer to Russia and Iran, and away from the US and France. Russia has become increasingly active in the region, and its forces responsible for training Nigerien soldiers are stationed at a base in Niamey.

A similar shift has taken place in neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso, countries also run by military leaders and facing violence from extremist groups.

The US recently announced that it would be leaving its base in Niamey, with the withdrawal being a priority. In the coming weeks, it will also vacate its base in Agadez, about 750 km northeast of Niamey, where it operates its reconnaissance drones. French forces withdrew from Mali and Burkina Faso last year.

French soldiers wave and process French citizens, other European citizens and other nationalities to evacuate Niger, August 3, 2023. Photo: PBS

German Army (Bundeswehr) soldiers and armored vehicles in Niger. Photo: DW

In late May this year, Germany and Niger reached a provisional agreement allowing the Bundeswehr to continue operating an air transport base in the capital Niamey until the end of August.

But negotiations to extend that agreement have failed, especially because base personnel would no longer enjoy immunity from prosecution.

There were 38 Bundeswehr soldiers stationed at the base recently, along with 33 employees from German and foreign companies. The base is used specifically for evacuation operations of German citizens in Africa.

Minh Duc (According to AFP/Al Arabiya, Kosova Press, Sputnik)

Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/dam-phan-that-bai-quan-doi-duc-se-roi-bo-can-cu-khong-quan-o-niger-a671801.html