WASHINGTON: Russian military troops have entered an air base in Niger that is housing U.S. troops, a senior U.S. defense official told Western media on Thursday.
The development comes after a decision by Niger’s junta to expel U.S. forces from the African country.
The military officials ruling Niger have asked the U.S. to withdraw its nearly 1,000 military troops from the country, which until a coup last year had been a closer partner for Washington’s fight against insurgents that have killed thousands of people and displaced millions.
A senior U.S. defense official, on condition of anonymity, said Russian forces were not mingling with U.S. personnel but were using another hanger at Airbase 101.
Russian move raises questions
The Russian move also raises questions about the fate of U.S. deployments in the country following a withdrawal.
The U.S. and its allies have been forced to withdraw troops from several African nations after coups that brought to power groups seeking to distance themselves from Western countries.
In addition to the withdrawal from Niger, U.S. troops have also left Chad in recent days, while French forces have been removed from Mali and Burkina Faso.
Russia at the same time is seeking to boost ties with African nations, pitching Moscow as a friendly country with no colonial background.
Mali, for example, in recent years has become one of Russia’s closest allies in Africa, with the Wagner Group mercenary force deploying there to fight jihadists.
Russia has termed ties with the United States as below zero because of U.S. military and financial assistance for Ukraine in the war.
