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- More than a thousand American soldiers are leaving Niger.
- The US is sending two separate envoys to negotiate for a peaceful withdrawal of its forces.
- Russia's African Corps, formerly the Wagner Group, last week sent a hundred special forces to Niger.
The United States is locked in negotiation with the coup regime in Niger for the "orderly and responsible withdrawal" of its forces as relations between the two nations hit an all-time low.
The US and France maintained bases in Niger in order to combat jihadist organisations in the region.
The US Ambassador to Niger, Kathleen FitzGibbon, and Major-General Ken Ekman, who is the Director of Strategy, Engagement and Programmes at the US Africa Command, were due to meet with the junta, led by General Abdourahamane Tchiani, in the capital, Niamey, on Thursday.
A follow-up meeting has already been scheduled for next week, featuring the US Assistant Secretary of Defence for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict, Christopher Maier.
According to a statement issued by the US State Department, the meetings will emphasise a "withdrawal process with transparency and mutual respect."
The withdrawal of the US forces comes after the French left at the end of last year.
France had a contingent of 1 500 troops, while the US had an estimated 1 000.
READ | 'Pack your bags': Hundreds in Niger tell US troops to go home
Both the French and Americans were involved in the fight against Islamist militants linked to Al-Qaeda and ISIS.
The Americans arrived in Niger in 2013.
But when the coup regime came into power in July last year, it pivoted towards Russian influence, and set up a regional cooperation deal.
General Michael Langley, of the US Africa Command, in March told the US Congress that, "several countries are at the tipping point of actually being captured by the Russian Federation".
Colonel Amadou Abdramane, the Junta's spokesperson, told the media that the US had become bitter critics because of Niamey's choices on who to work with - in this case, Russia.
He said the US was bent on denying "Nigerien people the right to choose their partners and types of partnerships capable of truly helping them fight against terrorism".
The US forces are departing as the former Wagner Group, now rebranded as African Corps, dispatched a hundred of its special forces to Niger last month to seal Russia's dominance in the country.
In a statement issued via Telegram last week, the African Corps said they were going to train Nigerien forces.
"We are here to train the army of Niger and provide training facilities, we have brought various military equipment," the African Corps said.
The News24 Africa Desk is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The stories produced through the Africa Desk and the opinions and statements that may be contained herein do not reflect those of the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
