WASHINGTON: US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has said Russian soldiers have been deployed to an airbase in Niger that also houses American troops, after the country’s military rulers decided to expel US forces.

Niger’s junta, which seized power last July, said in March it was ending a military cooperation agreement with Wash­ington that has agreed to withdraw its troops and sent a delegation to Niamey to work out an orderly departure.

Prior to the 2023 coup, Niger was a linchpin of US strategy to combat militants in West Africa, housing a $100 million American drone base and roughly 1,000 US troops.

The Russian deployment to Airbase 101 in the capital Niamey puts Russian and American soldiers in close quarters at a time when Washington and Moscow are fiercely at odds over the war in Ukraine.

Asked about it at a news conference on Thursday, Austin said the Russian deployment did not pose a “significant issue… in terms of our force protection”.

“Airbase 101 where our forces [are], is a Nigerien air force base that is co-located with an international airport in the capital city. The Russians are in a separate compound and don’t have access to US forces or access to our equipment,” he said at a news conference in Hawaii.

At a briefing in Moscow, Kremlin spokesman did not confirm or deny reports of the Russian presence at the Niger base, saying only that Moscow was cultivating ties with African countries.

Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2024