U.S. TROOPS LEAVE 1ST U.S. BASE IN NIGER

The US military completely withdrew on 7 July from one of its two Air Force bases in Niger, making the Sahelian country the first in Africa to give the US the boot.

On 16 March, the landlocked African country announced it was ending all military cooperation with the United States and ordered the departure of US troops. Air Base 101 is in the capital city of Niamey.

However, US troops still remain at another airbase, Air Station 201 in the Sahara Desert city of Agadez. This is reportedly the largest known US drone base and the US Air Force’s largest construction project. The largest US military base in Africa remains Camp Lemmonier in Djibouti, according to the US Africa Command (AFRICOM).

US troops are set to withdraw from Agadez by 15 September.

Every African country, with the exception of Eritrea, has entered into or continued some form of military cooperation with the US in the 2000s.

The CIA also operates its own drone base in Niger in the city of Dirkou, not far from the Libyan border. The future of this CIA base remains to be determined.