WASHINGTON
\nRussian military personnel have entered an air base in Niger that is hosting US troops, a senior US defence official told Reuters, a move that follows a decision by Niger\u2019s junta to expel US forces.
\nThe military officers ruling the West African nation have told the US to withdraw its nearly 1,000 military personnel from the country, which until a coup last year had been a key partner for Washington\u2019s fight against insurgents who have killed thousands of people and displaced millions more.
\nA senior US defence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Russian forces were not mingling with US troops but were using a separate hangar at Airbase 101, which is next to Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey, Niger\u2019s capital.
\nThe move by Russia\u2019s military, which Reuters was the first to report, puts US and Russian troops in close proximity at a time when the nation\u2019s military and diplomatic rivalry is increasingly acrimonious over the conflict in Ukraine.
\nIt also raises questions about the fate of US installations in the country following a withdrawal.
\n\u201c(The situation) is not great but in the short-term manageable,\u201d the official said.
\nAsked about the Reuters report, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin played down any risk to American troops or the chance that Russian troops might get close to US military hardware.
\n\u201cThe Russians are in a separate compound and don\u2019t have access to US forces or access to our equipment,\u201d Austin told a press conference in Honolulu.
\n\u201cI\u2019m always focused on the safety and protection of our troops … But right now, I don\u2019t see a significant issue here in terms of our force protection.\u201d
\nThe Nigerien and Russian embassies in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
\nThe US and its allies have been forced to move troops out of a number of African countries following coups that brought to power groups eager to distance themselves from Western governments. In addition to the impending departure from Niger, US troops have also left Chad in recent days, while French forces have been kicked out of Mali and Burkina Faso.
\nAt the same time, Russia is seeking to strengthen relations with African nations, pitching Moscow as a friendly country with no colonial baggage in the continent.
\nMali, for example, has in recent years become one of Russia\u2019s closest African allies, with the Wagner Group mercenary force deploying there to fight jihadist insurgents.
\nRussia has described relations with the United States as \u201cbelow zero\u201d because of US military and financial aid for Ukraine in its effort to defend against invading Russian forces.
\nThe US official said Nigerien authorities had told President Joe Biden\u2019s administration that about 60 Russian military personnel would be in Niger, but the official could not verify that number.
\nAfter the coup, the US military moved some of its forces in Niger from Airbase 101 to Airbase 201 in the city of Agadez. It was not immediately clear what US military equipment remained at Airbase 101.
\nThe United States built Airbase 201 in central Niger at a cost of more than $100 million. Since 2018 it has been used to target Islamic State and al Qaeda affiliate Jama\u2019at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM) fighters with armed drones.
\nWashington is concerned about Islamic militants in the Sahel region, who may be able to expand without the presence of US forces and intelligence capabilities.
\nNiger\u2019s move to ask for the removal of US troops came after a meeting in Niamey in mid-March, when senior US officials raised concerns including the expected arrival of Russia forces and reports of Iran seeking raw materials in the country, including uranium.
\nWhile the US message to Nigerien officials was not an ultimatum, the official said, it was made clear US forces could not be on a base with Russian forces.
\n\u201cThey did not take that well,\u201d the official said.
\nA two-star US general has been sent to Niger to try and arrange a professional and responsible withdrawal.
\nWhile no decisions have been taken on the future of US troops in Niger, the official said the plan was for them to return to US Africa Command\u2019s home bases, located in Germany.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
WASHINGTON Russian military personnel have entered an air base in Niger that is hosting US troops, a senior US defence official told Reuters, a move that follows a decision by Niger\u2019s junta to expel US forces. The military officers ruling the West African nation have told the US to withdraw its nearly 1,000 military personnel […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":404528,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-404518","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n