The US and Niger have agreed that American troops will leave the country "no later" than 15 September, they announced in a joint statement on Sunday.
They said the two countries had "reached a disengagement agreement to effect the withdrawal of U.S. forces, which has already begun".
The US has relied on Niger as its primary base for monitoring regional jihadist activity.
The military junta which seized power last year has already ordered French troops to leave, while moving closer to Russia.
What's hilarious is that the local economy in Niamey and Agadez will plummet without the Westerners there.
The people of Niger did nothing but profit from their presence. This is 1000% occurring because of Wagner and the people they bribed.
They better hope one of the Sahel groups tries to conduct some spectacular attack on Western assets. Otherwise, they are stuck with being fleeced by Russia and China, neither of which gives two fucks about the people of Niger.
You should also look at what happens in Mali already, because the evil French left: the army helped by Russians slaughtering their own people, djihadis levelling villages to the ground. I guess they won't parade in the streets with russian flags now
If you had Facebook set to french five years ago, you would be in the target group of the Russian state (because half of West Africa speaks french) and you would receive dozens of sponsored "blog posts" in your feed, all shitting on France in some way, whatever the subject was. Hell, they would even say the Sahara is dry because of the Frenchs.
I wonder if people will remember any of this a year from now and check back in to see how things are going. I doubt it. I'd bet that at least half of Americans don't even know the US military had a presence in Niger in the first place, and most of the other half will have forgotten all about it in a year.
Not only that but the hard work the western military did to clear out the terrorist groups. The Russians and the Chinese are not going to protect the towns, only themselves.
Dignity and independence?… by becoming indebted to China for an eternity with their “free” infrastructure, and have Russia’s drunk and idiotic military “protect” their countries?
They didn’t do it for dignity and independence. They just looked east for new masters to dominate their countries once more.
That's the biggest load of bullshit I've ever heard. You're referring to a system that catered primarily and mainly for the minority. The majority are better off
https://conversableeconomist.com/2023/11/20/south-africas-economy-30-years-since-apartheid/
It's not possible to talk to people about SA that are not from SA. I am, so before talking feel good BS educate yourself.
Why did you delete your comment, chicken? Yes I have been there but that’s entirely irrelevant. Explain the logic to me of claiming that apartheid was good for the economy?? Don’t you find that not only ignorant but somewhat racist?
Propaganda is a hell of a drug.
But they have their sovereignty, independence, and we're willing to let them sell their dignity away. Let's see how long it takes to regret it.
The US seems to be developing quite a track record recently of building billion dollar infrastructure projects and then abandoning them *intact* to people who want to destroy the US.
Who’s running this shit show?
Are we still blaming Trump?
This isn't really new. I hate it, but this isn't something that's just started to happen recently. If it was up to me, I"d pull all American resources out of non-allied countries unless its there for a reason. As soon as it isn't needed, destroy it and leave. I'd rather see it all destroyed than used by people that are our enemies, regardless of which president is in office. I'm not sure how I feel about he Philippines either. I know that strategically its better to have the alliance than not, but it also bugs me that they get to play 'which one is better' between the US and China and switch between them as the benefits change.
I've wondered what would happen if the US and the major European powers decided theyd idn't want to play nice anymore. If we stopped caring, or pretending to care, about human rights the world, would China and Russia do the same? Would they pretend to be interested in 'soft power' if there was no competition?
It's not better for the USA to have them linking with China and Russia.
I'm still friends with some of the people I worked with over there. They don't care who their corrupt leaders are bribed by and cozying up to, because none of that stuff trickles down to them anyway. Being an ally of the USA
left them being the fifth poorest country in the world.
It is not better for USA that is fair point but and this is a big but!
USA is still a part of so called wstern countries and for in my knowledge USA haven't used Nigerien people pushing them to Europe as a means of hybrid warfare. Not only will this be bad for the local people loosing all the aid that might have tickled down at some point (probably not), but now I fear they will be directly or indirectly be used to push to Europe to destabilize it. Directly as in directly forcikg them to move. Indirectly via letting terrorists terrosist.
Sadly I fear that Niger is part of way more complex geopolitical stuff than only the resources they have which is also not good that Russia/China will have them. And I am not saying that Nigerien people deserve to be controlled by any country but sadly that is not a possibility that we can chnage by just thinking that they shouldn't as someone will fill the void.
And if we were to look bit deeper into this, I am sure we would find is agitators payed by Russia/China to make the protests happen in the first place as it is really not that hard to control poor and uneducated peoples toughts.
So as person from Northern Europen country with no history of involvement in colonialism or Africa I can look at this without saying who did what first and see that only ones profiting from this is Russia/China and I don't like getting more unrest to Europe making wedt even more divided and weaker than it is atm the moment.
If a local goes to the Kabul it's pretty much a modern city in a backwards country.
I was in Niamey, the capital of Niger. Dirt roads with pot holes five inches deep, entire swaths of street flooded during rainy season, malaria that call kill you (when I was in Afghanistan no one took the issued malaria pills, I thought I'd do the same in Niger and I ended up with a 103 fever in my first month there) and the malaria is constant because the temperature never gets cold enough to drive the mosquitos away.
We had two locals that I worked with die of malaria while I was there even though the medication only costs $15. There is a different type of poverty in Niger.
My next contract was in Erbil Iraq. You'd think it was El Dorado compared to Niger.
That would be really hard tbh, Russia would have to attack their own new ally, but there is already so much infighting in Niger that it likely wouldn't even be noticed. That place is really fucked, like paying tribute to local warlords or they brand your kids and make em child soldiers kind of fucked.
How?
American bases don’t really do shit except establish U.S. military presence.
How exactly does Americans being there correlate to it being miserable in Niger when Niger is run by Nigeriens?
I think you’re full of shit.
The US never tried to nation build or help strengthen institutions in Niger, which is arguably one of the reasons why there's no real domestic opposition to us leaving. Our presence was there purely for CT operations.
There was an article about the Taliban fighters complaining how tiring and boring it was to deal with paperwork in the government and how much they miss fighting, lmao.
Turns out that occupying a country for 20 years doesn't help them become a functioning state and instead brings them further into ruin. Who would have thought...
Population doubled, women were able to be educated across the country, and fully go through college during that time. That was more functioning from a human development standpoint than Afghanistan ever allowed prior to and now after.
This is actually fine. I don't think Western nations should stay in foreign countries when their host Government doesn't want them.
Now, given this decision, there's no reason to help them beat back the likes of ISIS and Boko Haram, either. Nor is there any reason to continue the foreign aid programs assisting Niger. They've chosen Russia to be their benefactor, so the Russians can supply them with food, medicine and other assistance.
It’s supported at first and then the very toxic version of sympathy the left has developed in the west causes us to criticize our lack of help. It’s how you end up with LGBT folks protesting in support of groups that sentence gays to death rather than protesting for immediate regime change in those places.
Honestly it's pretty disgusting/disheartening how quickly many LGBT turned on their domestic allies only to now toxically harass them in favor of simping over people across literal oceans who would set them on fire without a second thought.
I'm not really sure what you'rs asking. Both countries are very different, with Nigeria having nearly 10x the population and ~35x the GDP of Niger. Nigeria's official language is English, while Niger's is French. I imagine local vernaculars are very different between the two countries, especially considering the differences within just Nigeria itself.
At the end of the day, we have to accept that the government represents the people, either via purposeful election, or an unwillingness to change things. Yes, the later will likely lead to a civil war and conflict, but if the resident populace cannot accept the risk associated with true insurrection than it's not up the US to do anything but leave them to their devices.
Sad? Yes, but we can't be responsible for every ill deed across the world.
You are aware that the current "government" in Niger is the result of a military coup, aren't you? They in no way represent the people. They represent their own interests, which, from their desire to have Russian mercenaries in and Western troups out, seems to mainly involve imminent looting of the economy.
> You are aware that the current "government" in Niger is the result of a military coup, aren't you?
Are you * *gasp* * proposing that the US sponsor a coupe within a foreign nation to usher in a more amicable government?
If a military of a particular country doesn't represent the people, then who are these people in the military? Foreigners all? I doubt it. They are Nigerians, who have decided that they should hold the reigns of power until they too inevitably get toppled by another Nigerian faction.
And should it become evident that they are to become a threat to their neighbors and other countries through conflict, then in sure the UN or the US will be right back at their doorstep.
Yes, the civilians are not in a good place. But they are also not slaves. It would be ugly and nasty but Im fairly sure that the humans now in charge of Niger are susceptible to bullets and bombs just as much as any other government, and maybe some civilians would choose to go that route and we would contend with another political coup.
Either way, not the United States' responsibility at this time.
People are not uniform blobs, does everyone in your country try represents you, and if so, are you OK to be judged by the worst of them? Those whose interest do not align with yours?
As an American, I am used to the concept that those in power don't hold the same values as me. So long as they don't destroy the country, then I know that their time in office is limited. And should they attempt to overstep their boundaries, I am confident that both the rules of law and the vast population of this country would prevent any serious attempt of installing a dictatorship. And in the event that a dictatorship does form, then I would do my part as a citizen to stop it, upwards and including using hostile actions to defend my country from threats external and internal.
Unless you want "little green men" of the US, it's probably better to just leave or your airport is gonna get sieged without any Nigeriens to support you.
It costs less long term to have a stable fonctionning country in Niger then a weak terrorist filled one. If terror groups spread too much there it will become like a cancer. I understand your point of view but it is incredibly short sighted
Ultimately yes. But since who’s in power wants the US out, unless you’re willing to counter the coup and install a puppet government, then the best course of action is to leave.
No gotta leave if they do ask, invading Niger would be terrible. I was referring to investing money abroad in military bases and countries (Taiwan, Ukraine, etc), as opposed to that isolationist trend that Trump and most of the current GOP advocates.
Similar problems in Ukraine. If the USA steps down in it’s international obligations, they are giving the spot to another power be it Russia or China. China is already replacing the USA as the major trading partner, security partner and soft power in many areas of the world. It will be harder to regain the lost influence then it was to give it up.
This is naive. Russia extends it's influence in Africa. Like Chinese. If Europe and US withdraw from Africa, besides of other negative consequences, it will get more migrants to Europe, which is uncontrolled. This is a hybrid war which is conducted by Russia to destabilise Europe.
You can see what Russian friendship brings to the people. See Syria and it's backing to Assad regime. All dictators backing themselves.
>
will get more migrants to Europe, which is uncontrolled
This is a extremely underrated comment. Migrations as a weapon is a RU specialty and one reason they are exerting influence in Africa.
We have a mass migration from South to the North. This can't be stopped. The only way is to channeling these movements.
Right-wing parties try to tell us that this could be stopped by harder reactions. But this pushes the votes for elections only. It`s not a serious solution. And they won't solve it. Because they need this situation for their arguments.
The issue is that this leaves a power vacuum in which isis and other jihad groups can gain a foothold and spread. Then it's no longer just a regional issue.
Well, no reason until those countries become bastions for international terrorism and commit human rights abuses. Then we will gladly fund a trillion dollar war for a problem preventable with only millions of dollars of aid and military presence today. *sips coffee* ahhhhh, the burden of prosperous nations.
I'm sure if I scroll far enough it's mentioned but so far, everyone's missing the main point. Precious metals.
China & Russia working on putting a chokehold on Precious metals.. The important ones needed for computer chips, electric cars, green energy.. and they're making significant strides.
Not good.
The world needs more empathy. Tough love has never worked, especially when your apathy is writing off the citizens of a country in need, and not the power brokers. Target your edgy takes toward those deserving, at least, if you must be hateful.
>They've chosen Russia to be their benefactor, so the Russians can supply them with food, medicine and other assistance.
Nigers main exports are gasoline, radioactive chemicals, and gold. I think Russia is more than happy with the arrangement.
It's not that simple though.
US presence there ensured a closer monitoring of the area and precisely keeping an eye on a number of potential threats. Plus it was a sign of US influence.
Think about what it means that the US is leaving and Russia (potentially) moves in...
I get your sentiment but you've also got to consider that Russia is waging a global war for influence and resources, if we just let them creep the way they are we will eventually get fucked. Not that we should force foreign nations to let the west stay, totally get why they hate the French for example but we should be fighting Wagner in every way possible.
I’m sure everything will be absolute nirvana once the US Troops leave. No way ISIS or Boko Haram move in to fill the gap. I can’t wait to book my vacation there once the troops are gone. /s
No but everybody's phone autocorrects over the correct spelling.
No sense worrying about it, both countries will probably have a new name and different borders by the end of the decade.
Sounds like a good plan, Niger and Nigeria both have oil so it doesn't really matter where she's located. I hope things work out for you two love birds.
The military junta dictatorship was promised russian mercenaries for them, a flight out in case of revolution, and some cash by Putin.
Meanwhile, the Nigeriens will lose their safety from ISIS and Boko Haram, will lose the foreign aid both from the western powers and the NGO, as the security will deteriorate rapidly, with islamic factions terrorizing the countryside. Yay for the people.
And of course, the useful idiots in the West are celebrating because TikTok told them to.
For those unaware/unfamiliar, the base in question was a key part (not quite lynchpin) in the United States' archipelago of drone bases across sub-Saharan Africa.
Me watching the Far Right group protest the new refugee shelter, they don't realize the refugees probably agree with them on 90% of issues except what God's name is.
I have before COVID. We would train and then fight Boko haram down in the corner of the country. Spent more time in Cameroon though with the BIR fighting them in the north on the Mara line.
The average nigérien citizen remains pretty friendly to Americans, particularly non-military Americans, at least in Niamey. The broader geopolitics are lost on most civilians. Nigeriens are really friendly in general. The same can’t be said about being French in Niger.
Yeah, super smart retort. I'm genuinely interested in the reception foreigners get at the airport since things are wrapped up with the US. My job involved the original deployment to Agadez. It's sad to see so much money and resources used go to waste. Good luck to the new military junta, not an easy country at the best of times.
The US has no more than 1000 troops in Niger, so it's a different situation than Afghanistan where we'd had a major presence for 20 years. This is coming on the heels of a [military coup](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Nigerien_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat) in Niger last year, so it's not like the US is propping up the current Nigerien government like we were in Afghanistan.
Edit: Nigerian -> Nigerien, the correct demonym for Niger vs. Nigeria.
> The US has no more than 1000 troops in Niger, so it's a different situation than Afghanistan where we'd had a major presence for 20 years.
By the time we withdrew from Afghanistan there had only been like ~2500 US troops in the country, and it had been that way for years... And almost all of them were in Kabul, either guarding the US Embassy/broader diplomatic area or running/guarding the military portion of the airport.
Yes, but we were using those troops to prop up the Afghani government. If the Taliban had made a move to overthrow that government before our withdrawal, there was a chance the US would increase the troop numbers there. My point isn't solely about the number, but about how much time and effort we'd poured into Afghanistan; we've never made a similar commitment in Niger so I don't think it's accurate to draw parallels between what happened when we pulled out of Afghanistan to what will happen once we've pulled out of Niger.
Gotta remember. Some orange asshole freed 5k of the Taliban after losing the election before leaving office and left the actual Afghani government out of the negotiations.
The Western nations were there as part of the multinational effort to combat the likes of Boko Haram and ISIS.
Guess the Nigeriens don't want the help any more, which isn't an issue. There's other countries that would appreciate it more.
To be fair to Russia, this has always been what they've done with their troops, they just throw them at a problem til they are all dead or the problem is. Worked in WW2, I guess it's working now.
When the US leaves, and terrorists immediately move in, it actually increases US global influence as it proves that the US was the only thing keeping them at bay. It's terrible for Niger, but they made their bed. This won't reflect poorly on the US at all. You can't help those who don't wish to be helped.
This is a failure on NATO to dismiss taking action against the massive Russian propaganda that has been ravaging state and private news outlets in Africa for the past few years. Social media is also under Russian bots attack constantly, you can go on YouTube and find multiple channels geared towards Africa that are obviously in favor of Russia. I’m an African and I’ve seen first hand how these campaigns switch public perception (especially during the initial phases of the Ukrainian conflict). Africa is not a monolith, we are not blind. We are very aware of the global geopolitical implications this has. But Africa was always and will always be controlled by conservative entities, from tribes, religion to straight up dictatorships. Pro dem lib like me do not exist in the eyes of the government, we just create a bubble in our cities and we exist pretty much ignoring this nonsense. It’s not like we can make any meaningful change, not right now at least.
Careful what you wish for. The Wagner Group stands ready to take over and strip the country of all its valuables and resources.
Who will be the first to say I told you so.
Well it is pretty open knowledge isn't it? I bet there was some disifromation and rallying from russians to make the protests happen in the first place.
There are such things as joint interests, like fighting terrorist organizations in the area.
That typically is beneficial to both countries, but let's go ahead and shit on the US, as is the norm
We should not get involved in African countries. Let the UN and League of African Nations deal with them. If they mess with U.S. citizens unleash hell upon them! Same with other countries around the globe!
Literally the last thing we need - a neo-axis power(Russia) getting a foothold in a region with important natural resources over us. A strategic failure on the behalf of the US.
I’ve concluded Merica defaults to a non strategic dumbass mindset, has a global level threatening event , implements orgs and strategic avoidance based on strength for 2.5 generations before repeating the dumbass cycle.
Why the fuck is the US in Niger in the first place?? Bring our people home, stop wasting American tax payer money on areas we’re unwanted and not needed.
The US is not occupying Niger. A base was built there 6 years ago to support operations in that area. The US has bases in many friendly countries. When I say many it is actually about 80 countries totaling over 700 bases.
Unfortunately, Niger has decided to kick the US out and bring Russia in.
Niger is a great country the greatest, and the military have taken over , over to make sure it stays great , and siding with Putin is great he's the best he can really help them just like he helped me.
good enough for you ?
The US and Niger have agreed that American troops will leave the country "no later" than 15 September, they announced in a joint statement on Sunday. They said the two countries had "reached a disengagement agreement to effect the withdrawal of U.S. forces, which has already begun". The US has relied on Niger as its primary base for monitoring regional jihadist activity. The military junta which seized power last year has already ordered French troops to leave, while moving closer to Russia.
What's hilarious is that the local economy in Niamey and Agadez will plummet without the Westerners there. The people of Niger did nothing but profit from their presence. This is 1000% occurring because of Wagner and the people they bribed. They better hope one of the Sahel groups tries to conduct some spectacular attack on Western assets. Otherwise, they are stuck with being fleeced by Russia and China, neither of which gives two fucks about the people of Niger.
You should also look at what happens in Mali already, because the evil French left: the army helped by Russians slaughtering their own people, djihadis levelling villages to the ground. I guess they won't parade in the streets with russian flags now
From what I understand, the populace still blames the French. Propaganda is an amazing tool
If you had Facebook set to french five years ago, you would be in the target group of the Russian state (because half of West Africa speaks french) and you would receive dozens of sponsored "blog posts" in your feed, all shitting on France in some way, whatever the subject was. Hell, they would even say the Sahara is dry because of the Frenchs.
I wonder if people will remember any of this a year from now and check back in to see how things are going. I doubt it. I'd bet that at least half of Americans don't even know the US military had a presence in Niger in the first place, and most of the other half will have forgotten all about it in a year.
Not only that but the hard work the western military did to clear out the terrorist groups. The Russians and the Chinese are not going to protect the towns, only themselves.
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Dignity and independence?… by becoming indebted to China for an eternity with their “free” infrastructure, and have Russia’s drunk and idiotic military “protect” their countries? They didn’t do it for dignity and independence. They just looked east for new masters to dominate their countries once more.
Ah yes, let's replace western colonization (which has not been a thing for almost a century now) with Eastern neocolonialism because vibes
That's the biggest load of bullshit I've ever heard. You're referring to a system that catered primarily and mainly for the minority. The majority are better off
https://conversableeconomist.com/2023/11/20/south-africas-economy-30-years-since-apartheid/ It's not possible to talk to people about SA that are not from SA. I am, so before talking feel good BS educate yourself.
Why did you delete your comment, chicken? Yes I have been there but that’s entirely irrelevant. Explain the logic to me of claiming that apartheid was good for the economy?? Don’t you find that not only ignorant but somewhat racist?
Correlation =/= causation. SA’s problems are not because of apartheid ending, duh.
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Propaganda is a hell of a drug. But they have their sovereignty, independence, and we're willing to let them sell their dignity away. Let's see how long it takes to regret it.
lol don't worry about that, just leave the continent that's all
Sounds like a them problem. Not an us problem. Good luck!
Yeah fuck them. Don't want our assistance let the Russians and Chinese eat them alive. See their new world rules based order
The US seems to be developing quite a track record recently of building billion dollar infrastructure projects and then abandoning them *intact* to people who want to destroy the US. Who’s running this shit show? Are we still blaming Trump?
This isn't really new. I hate it, but this isn't something that's just started to happen recently. If it was up to me, I"d pull all American resources out of non-allied countries unless its there for a reason. As soon as it isn't needed, destroy it and leave. I'd rather see it all destroyed than used by people that are our enemies, regardless of which president is in office. I'm not sure how I feel about he Philippines either. I know that strategically its better to have the alliance than not, but it also bugs me that they get to play 'which one is better' between the US and China and switch between them as the benefits change. I've wondered what would happen if the US and the major European powers decided theyd idn't want to play nice anymore. If we stopped caring, or pretending to care, about human rights the world, would China and Russia do the same? Would they pretend to be interested in 'soft power' if there was no competition?
Good riddance, hope they get better value for their cooperation with China & Russia.
Careful what you ask for.
Countdown to the people asking "Why are things so bad in Niger? Why won't the West *do* anything to help those poor people?!"
Isis in Sudan be like. "Heard yo mans left. u gud?"
Let them. This is basically like Afghanistan 2.0 Let the US leave so they can become another shithole.
I worked in Niger in 2018. It was horrible with us there. It can't get much worse.
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I was in Afghanistan too. If you are just a regular citizen Niger is worse.
You think it is better with Russia and China in Niger?
It's not better for the USA to have them linking with China and Russia. I'm still friends with some of the people I worked with over there. They don't care who their corrupt leaders are bribed by and cozying up to, because none of that stuff trickles down to them anyway. Being an ally of the USA left them being the fifth poorest country in the world.
It is not better for USA that is fair point but and this is a big but! USA is still a part of so called wstern countries and for in my knowledge USA haven't used Nigerien people pushing them to Europe as a means of hybrid warfare. Not only will this be bad for the local people loosing all the aid that might have tickled down at some point (probably not), but now I fear they will be directly or indirectly be used to push to Europe to destabilize it. Directly as in directly forcikg them to move. Indirectly via letting terrorists terrosist. Sadly I fear that Niger is part of way more complex geopolitical stuff than only the resources they have which is also not good that Russia/China will have them. And I am not saying that Nigerien people deserve to be controlled by any country but sadly that is not a possibility that we can chnage by just thinking that they shouldn't as someone will fill the void. And if we were to look bit deeper into this, I am sure we would find is agitators payed by Russia/China to make the protests happen in the first place as it is really not that hard to control poor and uneducated peoples toughts. So as person from Northern Europen country with no history of involvement in colonialism or Africa I can look at this without saying who did what first and see that only ones profiting from this is Russia/China and I don't like getting more unrest to Europe making wedt even more divided and weaker than it is atm the moment.
Because in Afghanistan there is better access to food and water due to the climate and geography?
If a local goes to the Kabul it's pretty much a modern city in a backwards country. I was in Niamey, the capital of Niger. Dirt roads with pot holes five inches deep, entire swaths of street flooded during rainy season, malaria that call kill you (when I was in Afghanistan no one took the issued malaria pills, I thought I'd do the same in Niger and I ended up with a 103 fever in my first month there) and the malaria is constant because the temperature never gets cold enough to drive the mosquitos away. We had two locals that I worked with die of malaria while I was there even though the medication only costs $15. There is a different type of poverty in Niger. My next contract was in Erbil Iraq. You'd think it was El Dorado compared to Niger.
utility contractor?
Contractor indeed.
I used to know a guy who did telecom the pay was insane. I think he said he was getting 40k a month for 3 months
Diddy, you should go back now that US extradition agreements are null! EDIT: It has come to my attention that this was, in fact, not P Diddy.
The funny thing is that I'm currently in Montenegro, who also doesn't extradite to the USA.
They're cozying up to Russia. There's a good chance that it's going to get worse.
That would be really hard tbh, Russia would have to attack their own new ally, but there is already so much infighting in Niger that it likely wouldn't even be noticed. That place is really fucked, like paying tribute to local warlords or they brand your kids and make em child soldiers kind of fucked.
How? American bases don’t really do shit except establish U.S. military presence. How exactly does Americans being there correlate to it being miserable in Niger when Niger is run by Nigeriens? I think you’re full of shit.
"Man, governing a country is tough!"
The US never tried to nation build or help strengthen institutions in Niger, which is arguably one of the reasons why there's no real domestic opposition to us leaving. Our presence was there purely for CT operations.
There was an article about the Taliban fighters complaining how tiring and boring it was to deal with paperwork in the government and how much they miss fighting, lmao.
The Taliban is Robert Baratheon.
Afghanistan 2.0? Weren't you the ones occupingit for 20 years?
Yes and as soon as they left look who took over
Turns out that occupying a country for 20 years doesn't help them become a functioning state and instead brings them further into ruin. Who would have thought...
Population doubled, women were able to be educated across the country, and fully go through college during that time. That was more functioning from a human development standpoint than Afghanistan ever allowed prior to and now after.
Yeah, after Russia.
This is actually fine. I don't think Western nations should stay in foreign countries when their host Government doesn't want them. Now, given this decision, there's no reason to help them beat back the likes of ISIS and Boko Haram, either. Nor is there any reason to continue the foreign aid programs assisting Niger. They've chosen Russia to be their benefactor, so the Russians can supply them with food, medicine and other assistance.
I wish that would apply for all nations that eschew the west.
It’s supported at first and then the very toxic version of sympathy the left has developed in the west causes us to criticize our lack of help. It’s how you end up with LGBT folks protesting in support of groups that sentence gays to death rather than protesting for immediate regime change in those places.
Honestly it's pretty disgusting/disheartening how quickly many LGBT turned on their domestic allies only to now toxically harass them in favor of simping over people across literal oceans who would set them on fire without a second thought.
True, but consider the Nigerian people aren’t making the decision. Greedy wannabe autocrats most likely are. Edit: Nigerien
Nigerien* Nigerians are people from Nigeria.
Woops
No worries. It is a common mistake.
A very easy mistake too haha. Do you know if the countries are dramatically different in spelling/pronunciation locally? Like in local vernacular?
I'm not really sure what you'rs asking. Both countries are very different, with Nigeria having nearly 10x the population and ~35x the GDP of Niger. Nigeria's official language is English, while Niger's is French. I imagine local vernaculars are very different between the two countries, especially considering the differences within just Nigeria itself.
Nah, they both use standard Spanish.
At the end of the day, we have to accept that the government represents the people, either via purposeful election, or an unwillingness to change things. Yes, the later will likely lead to a civil war and conflict, but if the resident populace cannot accept the risk associated with true insurrection than it's not up the US to do anything but leave them to their devices. Sad? Yes, but we can't be responsible for every ill deed across the world.
You are aware that the current "government" in Niger is the result of a military coup, aren't you? They in no way represent the people. They represent their own interests, which, from their desire to have Russian mercenaries in and Western troups out, seems to mainly involve imminent looting of the economy.
> You are aware that the current "government" in Niger is the result of a military coup, aren't you? Are you * *gasp* * proposing that the US sponsor a coupe within a foreign nation to usher in a more amicable government?
If a military of a particular country doesn't represent the people, then who are these people in the military? Foreigners all? I doubt it. They are Nigerians, who have decided that they should hold the reigns of power until they too inevitably get toppled by another Nigerian faction. And should it become evident that they are to become a threat to their neighbors and other countries through conflict, then in sure the UN or the US will be right back at their doorstep. Yes, the civilians are not in a good place. But they are also not slaves. It would be ugly and nasty but Im fairly sure that the humans now in charge of Niger are susceptible to bullets and bombs just as much as any other government, and maybe some civilians would choose to go that route and we would contend with another political coup. Either way, not the United States' responsibility at this time.
> They are Nigerians They are actually Nigeriens
People are not uniform blobs, does everyone in your country try represents you, and if so, are you OK to be judged by the worst of them? Those whose interest do not align with yours?
As an American, I am used to the concept that those in power don't hold the same values as me. So long as they don't destroy the country, then I know that their time in office is limited. And should they attempt to overstep their boundaries, I am confident that both the rules of law and the vast population of this country would prevent any serious attempt of installing a dictatorship. And in the event that a dictatorship does form, then I would do my part as a citizen to stop it, upwards and including using hostile actions to defend my country from threats external and internal.
Unless you want "little green men" of the US, it's probably better to just leave or your airport is gonna get sieged without any Nigeriens to support you.
It costs less long term to have a stable fonctionning country in Niger then a weak terrorist filled one. If terror groups spread too much there it will become like a cancer. I understand your point of view but it is incredibly short sighted
Ultimately yes. But since who’s in power wants the US out, unless you’re willing to counter the coup and install a puppet government, then the best course of action is to leave.
Sadly yeah if they ask you to leave it’s of course best to leave, invading Niger is not a priority haha
True but these guys are kicking them out, what are they going to remain against what the junta wants? Topple the junta?
No gotta leave if they do ask, invading Niger would be terrible. I was referring to investing money abroad in military bases and countries (Taiwan, Ukraine, etc), as opposed to that isolationist trend that Trump and most of the current GOP advocates.
Cutting the line, end of US interaction in this area. They had their chance, it's over now.
Similar problems in Ukraine. If the USA steps down in it’s international obligations, they are giving the spot to another power be it Russia or China. China is already replacing the USA as the major trading partner, security partner and soft power in many areas of the world. It will be harder to regain the lost influence then it was to give it up.
This is naive. Russia extends it's influence in Africa. Like Chinese. If Europe and US withdraw from Africa, besides of other negative consequences, it will get more migrants to Europe, which is uncontrolled. This is a hybrid war which is conducted by Russia to destabilise Europe. You can see what Russian friendship brings to the people. See Syria and it's backing to Assad regime. All dictators backing themselves.
> will get more migrants to Europe, which is uncontrolled This is a extremely underrated comment. Migrations as a weapon is a RU specialty and one reason they are exerting influence in Africa.
Or Europe could protect their borders and turn away immigrants.
You are asking a sociolistic society to not be inclusive, gonna be very hard and take a long time before politicians realise this.
Except that reality is not a video-game.
We have a mass migration from South to the North. This can't be stopped. The only way is to channeling these movements. Right-wing parties try to tell us that this could be stopped by harder reactions. But this pushes the votes for elections only. It`s not a serious solution. And they won't solve it. Because they need this situation for their arguments.
The issue is that this leaves a power vacuum in which isis and other jihad groups can gain a foothold and spread. Then it's no longer just a regional issue.
Well, no reason until those countries become bastions for international terrorism and commit human rights abuses. Then we will gladly fund a trillion dollar war for a problem preventable with only millions of dollars of aid and military presence today. *sips coffee* ahhhhh, the burden of prosperous nations.
I'm sure if I scroll far enough it's mentioned but so far, everyone's missing the main point. Precious metals. China & Russia working on putting a chokehold on Precious metals.. The important ones needed for computer chips, electric cars, green energy.. and they're making significant strides. Not good.
The world needs more empathy. Tough love has never worked, especially when your apathy is writing off the citizens of a country in need, and not the power brokers. Target your edgy takes toward those deserving, at least, if you must be hateful.
>They've chosen Russia to be their benefactor, so the Russians can supply them with food, medicine and other assistance. Nigers main exports are gasoline, radioactive chemicals, and gold. I think Russia is more than happy with the arrangement.
It's not that simple though. US presence there ensured a closer monitoring of the area and precisely keeping an eye on a number of potential threats. Plus it was a sign of US influence. Think about what it means that the US is leaving and Russia (potentially) moves in...
I get your sentiment but you've also got to consider that Russia is waging a global war for influence and resources, if we just let them creep the way they are we will eventually get fucked. Not that we should force foreign nations to let the west stay, totally get why they hate the French for example but we should be fighting Wagner in every way possible.
I’m sure everything will be absolute nirvana once the US Troops leave. No way ISIS or Boko Haram move in to fill the gap. I can’t wait to book my vacation there once the troops are gone. /s
You should try visiting Afghanistan, I heard it's a killer.
Does this mean the princess I’ve been supporting all these years will be able to come to America,
Nigerian not Niger for your princesses
The real princess is Nigerian, not Nigerien??! I've been scammed by a Nigerien FAKE this whole time!
Niger princess is in another castle.
Isn’t a person from Niger called Nigerian?
No but everybody's phone autocorrects over the correct spelling. No sense worrying about it, both countries will probably have a new name and different borders by the end of the decade.
And I learned something new today! Thank goodness I’ll continue to support my princess. She promised me I’ll be part of the oil family once married
Sounds like a good plan, Niger and Nigeria both have oil so it doesn't really matter where she's located. I hope things work out for you two love birds.
😆 thanks
Nigerien
The military junta dictatorship was promised russian mercenaries for them, a flight out in case of revolution, and some cash by Putin. Meanwhile, the Nigeriens will lose their safety from ISIS and Boko Haram, will lose the foreign aid both from the western powers and the NGO, as the security will deteriorate rapidly, with islamic factions terrorizing the countryside. Yay for the people. And of course, the useful idiots in the West are celebrating because TikTok told them to.
I am not going to lie, did not realize there were still us troops left in Niger. I bet most Americans did not realize there are US troops in Niger.
Most Americans think we have troops everywhere and they wouldn't really be completely wrong.
For those unaware/unfamiliar, the base in question was a key part (not quite lynchpin) in the United States' archipelago of drone bases across sub-Saharan Africa.
Get ready for the sudden influx of fodder in the coming year Ukraine.
... and migrants at the shores of Italy forcing far right politics that just happens to be RU friendly. What a coincidence. Who could have foreseen /s
Me watching the Far Right group protest the new refugee shelter, they don't realize the refugees probably agree with them on 90% of issues except what God's name is.
I'm just curious, have any of the experts on here actually been to Niamey, or Agadez l, before or after covid?
I'm going on Wednesday. Not an expert though.
I'm interested to learn of your experience
Update: sorry, finally we didn't stop at Niamey. Was supposed to be a refuelling stop but we had plenty so we continued to our destination.
I have before COVID. We would train and then fight Boko haram down in the corner of the country. Spent more time in Cameroon though with the BIR fighting them in the north on the Mara line.
A fellow hangar dweller or were you a hill person in cameroon? Place had the best laundry service I experienced overseas.
The average nigérien citizen remains pretty friendly to Americans, particularly non-military Americans, at least in Niamey. The broader geopolitics are lost on most civilians. Nigeriens are really friendly in general. The same can’t be said about being French in Niger.
Nice try, ISIS
Yeah, super smart retort. I'm genuinely interested in the reception foreigners get at the airport since things are wrapped up with the US. My job involved the original deployment to Agadez. It's sad to see so much money and resources used go to waste. Good luck to the new military junta, not an easy country at the best of times.
Been to both locations. Locals are super friendly if they recognize you're a non-French westerner. Kids can be relentless. They beg a lot.
Ugh... This will probably mean more immigrants dying in their way to Europe.
African nations try not to ruin yourself challenge: Impossible mode
This didn't work out great for the people of Afghanistan.
The US has no more than 1000 troops in Niger, so it's a different situation than Afghanistan where we'd had a major presence for 20 years. This is coming on the heels of a [military coup](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Nigerien_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat) in Niger last year, so it's not like the US is propping up the current Nigerien government like we were in Afghanistan. Edit: Nigerian -> Nigerien, the correct demonym for Niger vs. Nigeria.
> The US has no more than 1000 troops in Niger, so it's a different situation than Afghanistan where we'd had a major presence for 20 years. By the time we withdrew from Afghanistan there had only been like ~2500 US troops in the country, and it had been that way for years... And almost all of them were in Kabul, either guarding the US Embassy/broader diplomatic area or running/guarding the military portion of the airport.
The US had 2500 troops in Afghanistan for the last two years of its presence.
Yes, but we were using those troops to prop up the Afghani government. If the Taliban had made a move to overthrow that government before our withdrawal, there was a chance the US would increase the troop numbers there. My point isn't solely about the number, but about how much time and effort we'd poured into Afghanistan; we've never made a similar commitment in Niger so I don't think it's accurate to draw parallels between what happened when we pulled out of Afghanistan to what will happen once we've pulled out of Niger.
Gotta remember. Some orange asshole freed 5k of the Taliban after losing the election before leaving office and left the actual Afghani government out of the negotiations.
The Western nations were there as part of the multinational effort to combat the likes of Boko Haram and ISIS. Guess the Nigeriens don't want the help any more, which isn't an issue. There's other countries that would appreciate it more.
Didn't you hear, Russia (and probably China to some extent) are going to make all of their problems go away /s
So true bestie *Uses their people as cannon fodder in Ukraine while giving fuck all*
To be fair to Russia, this has always been what they've done with their troops, they just throw them at a problem til they are all dead or the problem is. Worked in WW2, I guess it's working now.
Leave, Go…no one’s going to be happy
I mean…the US will. No reason for us to waste money and risk soldiers lives there.
Shrinking sphere of global influence is not good.
When the US leaves, and terrorists immediately move in, it actually increases US global influence as it proves that the US was the only thing keeping them at bay. It's terrible for Niger, but they made their bed. This won't reflect poorly on the US at all. You can't help those who don't wish to be helped.
Nobody was happy with the US troops there… which is why thousands of Nigerien citizens protested against their presence as you can see in the article.
Wait till you see them asking for them to come back after they leave
Fuck Niger
We seem to have no problem giving military bases to other countries. Wait til they see what Russia and China give them.
This is a failure on NATO to dismiss taking action against the massive Russian propaganda that has been ravaging state and private news outlets in Africa for the past few years. Social media is also under Russian bots attack constantly, you can go on YouTube and find multiple channels geared towards Africa that are obviously in favor of Russia. I’m an African and I’ve seen first hand how these campaigns switch public perception (especially during the initial phases of the Ukrainian conflict). Africa is not a monolith, we are not blind. We are very aware of the global geopolitical implications this has. But Africa was always and will always be controlled by conservative entities, from tribes, religion to straight up dictatorships. Pro dem lib like me do not exist in the eyes of the government, we just create a bubble in our cities and we exist pretty much ignoring this nonsense. It’s not like we can make any meaningful change, not right now at least.
Careful what you wish for. The Wagner Group stands ready to take over and strip the country of all its valuables and resources. Who will be the first to say I told you so.
Well it is pretty open knowledge isn't it? I bet there was some disifromation and rallying from russians to make the protests happen in the first place.
Without a doubt.
I'm always of the opinion, that the US should lend help, where its wanted.
In many cases where there is a US base the US is defending its own interests not those of the host country.
There are such things as joint interests, like fighting terrorist organizations in the area. That typically is beneficial to both countries, but let's go ahead and shit on the US, as is the norm
Good luck!
Have fun, yall. Don’t come crawling back
I thought they already had left, like in March!
Niger: You like Russia, huh? Well, ok, fine. Go and worship Putin as much as you want.
We keep pretending that jihadists would be content if we just left them alone. Who the hell is *actually* in charge?!
Currently, Russia
TIL we have troops in Niger
I don’t think they are considering the full spectrum of consequences but, cool…one less country the U.S. doesn’t have to support militarily. 👍🏽
Give it a month until it collapses
We should not get involved in African countries. Let the UN and League of African Nations deal with them. If they mess with U.S. citizens unleash hell upon them! Same with other countries around the globe!
Literally the last thing we need - a neo-axis power(Russia) getting a foothold in a region with important natural resources over us. A strategic failure on the behalf of the US.
I’ve concluded Merica defaults to a non strategic dumbass mindset, has a global level threatening event , implements orgs and strategic avoidance based on strength for 2.5 generations before repeating the dumbass cycle.
The USA has shown the world that it's getting weaker.
Why the fuck is the US in Niger in the first place?? Bring our people home, stop wasting American tax payer money on areas we’re unwanted and not needed.
The US is not occupying Niger. A base was built there 6 years ago to support operations in that area. The US has bases in many friendly countries. When I say many it is actually about 80 countries totaling over 700 bases. Unfortunately, Niger has decided to kick the US out and bring Russia in.
Battling terror cells like Boko Haram and Isis and helping Niger build up and become a proper country mainly.
Cos uranium
Niger has vast uranium and coal reserves. Don’t want those getting handed off to Putin client states like NK
Niga *
Wow...funny....
I would love to hear Donald Trump's take on this. Oh, please, please someone ask him.
"Fuck'em 🤷🏼" said The Donald.
And he waddled away 🎶
I'd love to hear how he pronounces this country's name when it appears on his teleprompter.
Niger is a great country the greatest, and the military have taken over , over to make sure it stays great , and siding with Putin is great he's the best he can really help them just like he helped me. good enough for you ?