- Protesters rallied outside Niger's National Assembly in Niamey over the weekend demanding American troops withdraw from the country amid claims that military cooperation had been unilaterally imposed by the US. Dw.Com
- Leading figures of the ruling military junta as well as students were reportedly among thousands that gathered Saturday to demonstrate against alleged American imperialism. France 24
- This comes as Niger has revoked an agreement allowing for the deployment of US troops to operate from an airbase and a drone base in and around the city of Agadez. As of last December, there were some 650 soldiers there — and it remains unclear if or when they will leave. Al Jazeera (LR: 2 CP: 1)
- American troops in Niger had been inactive even before the African country declared their presence illegal, as Washington suspended cooperation with Niamey in the wake of the military takeover last summer. New York Times (LR: 2 CP: 5)
- Niger used to be a critical security partner for France and the US in the fight against a decade-long Islamist insurgency in the Sahel region. After the military takeover, protests prompted the withdrawal of French forces from the West African nation. reuters.com (LR: 3 CP: 5)
- Meanwhile, dozens of Russian military instructors arrived in Niger last week, reportedly with an advanced air defense system to train the local military under a new bilateral security agreement. BBC News (LR: 3 CP: 5)
Pro-establishment narrative:
- The people's frustration over widespread insecurity is justified, but blaming the Western military presence in Niger is not. The junta is turning the population against the West while embracing Russia — not for effective counterterrorism but primarily to bolster its own rule through Moscow's military presence. Kicking out Europe and the US and replacing them with Russia will hamper the fight against terrorism, and protests against the Russian military are only a matter of time.
FOREIGN POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE
Establishment-critical narrative:
- Following the withdrawal of French troops from Niger, it's only natural that the people are now also calling for the US military to leave the country. Citizens are standing by the transitional government and no longer tolerate the occupation of Niger by Western forces under the pretext of fighting terrorism. All over the Sahel, people are rising calling for closer ties with Moscow, but Niger will not fall into the trap of replacing Western dominance with that of Russia.
DAILY SABAH
Nerd narrative:
- There is a 70% chance, that Niger will experience a civil war before 2036, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
METACULUS (LR: 3 CP: 3)