러시아ㆍ유라시아

On Monday, September 16, 2024, US Africa Command (AFRICOM) announced that the US had completed its military withdrawal from Niger, leaving behind only its embassy security detachment. Unlike the rapid and chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, Washington’s exit from Niger has happened ahead of schedule and with little fanfare.The US did not expect to find itself in this position. Policymakers walked a tightrope for several months following Niger’s military coup in July 2023, caught between condemning the coup and the potential blowback on a key regional security partnership. A diplomatic kerfuffle in March 2024 sealed Washington’s fate as a last-ditch effort aimed at discouraging Niger’s junta from working with Russia backfired. The Tchiani regime publicly condemned Washington for dictating terms and demanded a US military withdrawal. Since March, the US has been steadily shutting down its operations across the country. In early July, US forces withdrew from Airbase 101 in Niamey and vacated the $100 million-plus airbase in Agadez, Airbase 201, in August—well ahead of the September 15 deadline agreed to by Niger’s junta and US officials.