The Pentagon reportedly plans to pull out some of its troops from the African country
The US has begun “repositioning” the troops it has in Niger and plans to cut their number “nearly in half” over the next several weeks, Politico reported on Friday citing two Defense Department officials.
US to cut military presence in Niger
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Let us travel back in time to April 9, 1999. It was the middle of hot season in the West African country of Niger and 120 degrees in the shade. Jocelyn, one of the authors, was a newly minted Peace Corps volunteer and had recently arrived in a rural community 60 miles south of Niamey, the capital, where she would spend the next two years. That day, President Ibrahim Bare Mainassara and five other people were shot dead at the airport, a mutiny by his presidential guard. But there was no international outcry, no evacuation of Americans and Europeans. Jocelyn was told to stay put in the small community where she was living. Life went on as usual.
Why the U.S. Government Cares About the Coup in Niger | Opinion
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Washington has chosen its own interests over its allies, a French diplomat has told the newspaper, following Victoria Nuland’s visit to Niger
France furious with US over Niger – Le Figaro
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US Considers Ways to Keep Its Military Presence in Niger
Turse explained in a recent article that in 2002 and 2003, the first years of US counterterrorism assistance to Niger, the State Department counted just nine terrorist attacks in all of Africa.
“Last year, the number of violent events in Burkina Faso, Mali, and western Niger alone reached 2,737, according to a report by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, a Defense Department research institution. This represents a jump of more than 30,000 percent since the US began its counterterrorism efforts,” Turse wrote.
Washington is halting some aid to Niger even as it eyes greater support for Burkina Faso’s military coup-maker.
At Least Five Members of Niger Junta Were Trained by U.S.
Nuland met with Moussa Salaou Barmou, who has previously received training from the US military
Victoria Nuland Meets With Niger Junta Leaders
The Intercept has verified that Brig. Gen. Moussa Salaou Barmou, the head of Niger’s Special Operations Forces and a key figure in the unfolding coup in Niger, received training from the U.S. military. Since 2008, military officers trained by the United States have been involved in 11 coups in West Africa.
Niger Coup Leader Brig. Gen. Moussa Salaou Barmou Was Trained By The US Military
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Army in Niger backs coup as U.S. forces in the country assess situation
Fort Moore (formerly Fort Benning) is home to the former School of the Americas.
Ms. Cat’s Chronicles 
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