NIAMEY, Niger — Niger’s junta said on Saturday that the US military presence in the country is no longer justified, making the announcement on state television after holding high-level talks with US diplomatic and military officials this week.
Niger plays a central role in the US military’s operations in Africa’s Sahel region and is home to a major air base. The US is concerned about the spread of jihadist violence in the region, where local groups have pledged allegiance to Al Qaeda and Islamic State extremist groups.
Reading the statement, junta spokesman Colonel Maj. Amadou Abdramane did not say the U.S. troops should leave. He said Niger was suspending military cooperation with Washington, adding that US flights over the country’s territory had been illegal in recent weeks.
The U.S. military in recent years has begun operating a large air base in the Niger city of Agadez, some 920 kilometers (550 miles) from the capital Niamey, using it for manned and unmanned surveillance flights and other operations.
The US has also invested years and hundreds of millions of dollars in training Niger’s military. Some of these forces were involved in the July overthrow of Niger’s democratically elected president, Mohammed Bazoum.
In October, Washington officially labeled the military takeover a coup, prompting US laws that limited the military support and assistance the country could provide to Niger. But in December, top US envoy to Africa Molly Phee said the US was willing to restore aid and security ties if Niger met certain conditions.
The Niger junta spokesman said the US tone was condescending and threatened Niger’s sovereignty. Since the July coup, the country has ended its security partnership with the European Union and France has withdrawn its troops from the country.
Phee and Major General Michael Langley, head of the US military’s African Command, were in Niamey this week to meet with senior government officials in Niger. Phee did not respond to emailed requests for comment.
The U.S. military had about 650 troops in Niger in December, according to a White House report to Congress.
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Associated Press writer Jessica Donati in Dakar, Senegal, contributed to this report.