The United States Discusses Withdrawal of Its Forces from Niger

The U.S. State Department announced in a statement, reported by "Novosti," that representatives from the United States and Niger will discuss the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Niger with authorities in Niamey today. The statement confirmed, "U.S. Ambassador to Niger Kathleen Fitzgibbons and Major General Kim Ekman, representative of the U.S. African Command, will meet on April 25 with representatives of the authorities in Niamey to start discussions on the organized and responsible withdrawal of U.S. forces from Niger." It added, "Pentagon and U.S. military officials will hold additional meetings with their Nigerien counterparts on April 29 to coordinate the withdrawal process based on principles of transparency and mutual respect." The statement noted that "since discussions began in 2023, the United States and the new authorities in Niger have been unable to reach an agreement on continuing security cooperation based on the interests of both sides."