[ad_1]
BERLIN — Germany’s Defense Ministry said Saturday that German troops will end their operations at an air base in Niger on August 31 after talks with the country’s ruling government broke down.
The German Ministry of Defense also stated that all German Federal Armed Forces soldiers stationed at the base will be withdrawn by August 31, and Germany’s military cooperation with Niger will also be terminated.
The breakdown in talks marks Niger’s latest diplomatic move away from the West since a coup in July 2023 toppled President Mohamed Bazoum and brought current military leaders to power.
Since then, Niger has moved away from the United States and former colonial ruler France and toward Russia and Iran.
Similar shifts have occurred in neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso, which are also ruled by military leaders and face violent threats from jihadist groups.
At the end of May, Germany and Niger reached a temporary agreement allowing the German Bundeswehr to continue operating an air transport base in the capital Niamey until the end of August.
But talks to extend the agreement broke down, particularly because personnel at the base would no longer enjoy immunity from prosecution.
Currently, the base is home to only 38 Bundeswehr soldiers and 33 staff from German and foreign companies.
It was used primarily in the evacuation of German expatriates from Africa.
[ad_2]
Source link
