Following several tense days of negotiations, the announcement from Niger’s ruling military junta about suspending its counter-terrorism agreement with the United States on March 17 poses new challenges for regional dynamics and security.
The Pentagon has not yet announced it will pull back its troops and says it intends to negotiate with Niger instead.
Should the United States withdraw, it would leave an opening for militant groups that have been the target of US military efforts, especially factions affiliated with the Islamic State and al-Qaeda.
The agreement, which was established in 2012, also encompassed various US investments. In 2016, the United States began building a $100 million drone facility called “Air Base 201” in Agadez, in central Niger, a strategic location over 750 kilometers (466 miles) northeast of Niamey, Niger’s capital.
