https://www.politico.com/news/...coup-a-coup-00109035

The Biden administration is refusing to call the military-backed ouster of Niger’s president a “coup,” knowing that doing so could trigger an end to U.S. security aid to a country that’s key to battling terrorism and curbing Russian influence in Africa.

The reluctance is the latest example of President Joe Biden’s struggle to balance a stated reverence for democracy with the harsh reality of geopolitics, especially when it comes to partner nations tackling challenges such as extremism. Niger, one of the world’s poorest countries, just recently transitioned to democracy in a region where coups have become frequent.

Pressed on the hesitation to use the label for Niger, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller insisted Monday that the situation is “fluid” and still an “attempt” at removing Niger’s president, Mohamed Bazoum.

“We are watching and monitoring the situation and trying to prevent President Bazoum from being removed from office,” Miller said.

Over the weekend, Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that the U.S. “economic and security partnership with Niger, which is significant, hundreds of millions of dollars” was in “clear jeopardy.”

A spokesperson for the National Security Council did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Reports from Niamey, the Nigerien capital, show that Bazoum was taken captive by his bodyguards last week. The country’s military then endorsed the ouster, and Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, who oversees the presidential guards, declared he was leading a transitional government. The exact reasons for the coup are unclear, but Tchiani has spoken vaguely of the need to stop the country’s “demise.”

Multiple U.S. officials, including Blinken, have spoken with Bazoum in recent days, and they’ve demanded that Nigerien security forces restore him to power.

But labeling the events “coup” — a legal determination, not simply a matter of using a word — could spur an end to U.S. military equipment and training, and potentially economic aid. Traditionally speaking, a coup d’etat is defined as an illegal seizure of power, often by a country’s military.

If the U.S. is forced to freeze aid to Niger, it will endanger its ties to a crucial Western ally and linchpin of U.S. counterterrorism in the Sahel region, where Islamist militants are steadily expanding their grip.

In 2019, the Pentagon opened a new drone base in the Nigerien city of Agadez that it uses to strike terrorist groups across West and North Africa. The facility, which hosts MQ-9 Reaper drones, cost the U.S. $100 million to construct and roughly $30 million a year to maintain.

The Nigerien armed forces have suspended all flights out of the base, according to a Defense Department official, who was granted anonymity to discuss a developing situation.

Ending U.S. aid could also reduce leverage to convince Niger’s generals to restore democracy, although Washington’s efforts to financially weaken dictatorships, through sanctions for example, have had mixed results at best.

Until the past few days, Niamey was only one of the few remaining democracies in the Sahel: since 2021, neighboring governments in Burkina Faso, Mali and Chad have fallen to military coups.

“Niger was the basket that the U.S. and the French were putting all their eggs in,” said Joshua Meservey, a fellow at the Hudson Institute.

Global leaders, including across Africa, have called for Bazoum to be reinstated. Several of Niger’s neighbors even threatened military intervention if the ousted president is not returned to power by Aug. 6.

But the regional pressure is unlikely to have much effect — in part because it’s unclear whether the African nations have the will or military might to make good on the threat, argued Mvemba Phezo Dizolele, a senior fellow with the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

“That didn’t work in Mali, it didn’t work in Burkina Faso, it didn’t work in Guinea. Why would it work in Niger?” he said. He added that any intervention might ultimately prove counterproductive by alienating the population.

At the same time, supporters of the coup in Niger have staged marches in which they’ve waved Russian flags, adding to Western worries that Moscow — possibly through the mercenary Wagner Group that has been active in Mali and elsewhere in the region — is fueling the discord.

The Biden administration may be trying to keep its options open because there is still hope the coup could be reversed or the military could transition peacefully to a new democratic government. Regardless of the outcome, experts say, Washington may find a way to work with the Nigerien armed forces because of significant U.S. commitments and interests in the region.

“The U.S. cannot afford to pack up and leave,” Dizolele said.

Other Western countries were quick to suspend aid. France, Germany and the European Union say they are halting financial aid to Niger. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called the events a “putsch.”

France, which ruled Niger as a colony until 1960, has about 1,500 troops there, but the U.S. has a significant military presence, too.

Since 2012, the U.S. has spent $500 million to train and arm the Nigerien armed forces, and stations about 1,100 troops — many of them commandos training and advising Nigerien special forces — in the country.

Niamey has participated for years in the annual Flintlock exercise, Africa’s largest special operations exercise, which sees Western troops training their African partners across the Sahel.

The fate of the base now hangs in the balance: American troops may be compelled by law to leave, or the new Nigerien government could force them out.

If the West cuts aid to Niger, there are also worries that Niamey could turn to Russia and China, or mercenary groups such as Wagner, for assistance. The Kremlin-backed group’s presence has exploded in places such as Mali, for example, after the West largely pulled out due to a 2021 coup.

“Once they launch a coup they become pariahs, but Wagner doesn’t care about that,” said Meservey of the Hudson Institute, noting that other coup governments in the region are working with Russia, China and Iran, another U.S. adversary.

“It may be that coup governments are now calculating that they can survive the inevitable pariah-ization that they will face from the West.”

But the situation is tricky for Biden and his aides, not to mention members of Congress and others who want U.S. economic and military aid to be used wisely.

Washington’s unwillingness to formally label the overthrow in Niger as a coup isn’t unprecedented. It still won’t use the term to describe the 2013 coup in Egypt, another recipient of military aid.

The Obama administration drew much mockery for refusing to use the label. That position hasn’t changed under subsequent administrations.

The State Department spokesperson at the time, Jen Psaki, said the Obama team had “determined we’re not going to make a determination.”

One comedian called it a verbal “kama sutra.”

This message has been edited. Last edited by: wcb6092,

quote:

“We are watching and monitoring the situation and trying to prevent President Bazoum from being removed from office,” Miller said.

So is this what they're calling Uncle Joe now?

It's Africa, no one (in politics) really cares about Africa.

Drooling Joe and The Ho couldn't find Africa on a map, more or less that country- then for added comedy would probably toss in an extra "g", and blame it on "white supremacy".

If Niamey does call "Wagner", the UN will step in and let the country kill itself. See: "Executive Outcomes" Rwanda circa 1994. The US will just toss more money over there to be stolen by whatever clown is in charge.

This is the political situation in Africa for at least the last 40-50 years.
No one really cares about Africa.

Anyone else really hope that some journalist gets Biden to go off script about Niger?

That's funny. They're unwilling to call what they did a coup as well.

So... We built an expensive base there and now the host nation says we cant use it? Fine. Fly our drones and people out of the base. Bomb it until it looks like the surface of the moon and let the Nigerians go ahead and kill each other. No more American treasure or blood for the shithole.

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
Fly our drones and people out of the base. Bomb it until it looks like the surface of the moon

Like we did in Afghanistan.

quote:

Originally posted by braillediver:

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
Fly our drones and people out of the base. Bomb it until it looks like the surface of the moon

Like we did in Afghanistan.

This administration?
That would pretty much be the end state.
One giant, floppy clown shoe wearing shit show, with a lot of people that were on our side dead, or worse.

Nuland In Niger, Warns Coup Leaders Against Forging Ties With Russia's Wagner

https://www.zerohedge.com/geop...-ties-russias-wagner

Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland made a surprise visit to Niger’s capital Niamey on Monday, where she had "difficult" talks with Niger's junta leadership after it ousted President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26.

"Traveled to Niamey to express grave concern at the undemocratic attempts to seize power and urged a return to constitutional order," Nuland announced of the risky visit, given the country has just undergone a coup. It should be noted that US officials have yet to use the term "coup" to describe the situation.

Nuland, now as the State Department number two under Secretary of State Antony Blinken briefed reporters after meeting the military leadership, describing that "conversations were extremely frank and at times quite difficult because, again, we were pushing for a negotiated solution."

She noted that the military leaders were "quite firm in their view on how they want to proceed, and it does not comport with the constitution of Niger." The junta has indeed not budged amid external pressure, even as the neighboring and West-friendly bloc, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), threatens full military intervention.

Nuland reportedly asked to see Bazoum, who has remained in detention—a request which was denied. "It was difficult today, and I will be straight up about that," she admitted, confirming that Washington is unlikely to get its way in Niger.

Niger's new self-declared defense chief, General Moussa Salaou Barmou, was among the junta officials Nuland met with. Interestingly, Nuland confirmed he had previously received military training from elite American operatives—yet another irony and failure of US foreign policy.

"General Barmou, former Colonel Barmou, is somebody who has worked very closely with US Special Forces over many, many years," she said. "So we were able to go through in considerable detail the risks to aspects of our cooperation that he has historically cared about a lot. So we are hopeful that that will sink in." The Intercept had also previously confirmed this in its reporting.



More at link

They have to check Hunter's laptop before they can confirm what to call it. There's a sliding scale depending on pay level.

Just deal with the new military leadership.

One corrupt African is little different from another, and finding non-corrupt Africans is getting extraordinarily hard, as the majority of the non-corrupt have long since fled the continent, a statement true irrespective of their ancestry or dermal melanin concentrations.

Fairly long article; Here are a few points I found interesting.


Coup In Niger Could Derail This Strategic Pipeline

https://oilprice.com/Energy/Na...ategic-Pipeline.html

The coup in Niger could lead to the deployment of Wagner forces in the country.

Media concern has focused on the fact that Niger is a supplier of uranium, and is a key supplier to France.

One thing that got halted, however, is the $13 billion USD, 5,600-kilometer Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline.

Media concern has focused on the fact that Niger is a supplier of uranium, and is a key supplier to France, though France also buys uranium from Kazakhstan. The French nuclear fuel cycle company, Orano, which operates a uranium mine in Niger reported its operations were not hindered or endangered.

Though uranium attracts more news coverage, Niger’s biggest export is gold, which accounted for over 70% of exports in 2021.

The military government reportedly halted uranium and gold exports to France, though Reuters later reported that Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso not halting exports of uranium and gold.

One thing that got halted, however, is the $13 billion USD, 5,600-kilometer Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline (TSGP) which was slated to deliver 30 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas to Europe. The pipeline would run from Warri, Nigeria, via Niger, to the Hassan R’Mel gas hub in Algeria where it would connect to existing gas pipelines to Europe.

The pipeline is a joint effort by Algeria, Nigeria, and Niger, and in July 2022 the countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the implementation of the pipeline. The delay of the project comes at a bad time for Europe as it recently lost gas from the Nord Stream pipelines due to sabotage, and the East Med pipeline after the U.S. government killed it by raising environmental objections. The two pipelines were expected to deliver 120 bcm of gas per year.

After the loss of Nord Stream, Europe was forced to import liquified natural gas (LNG) from the U.S. at a higher price than it was paying the Russians.

Last French troops leave Niger

https://www.france24.com/en/li...eration-in-the-sahel

France said it would pull out its roughly 1,500 soldiers and pilots from Niger after the former French colony's new ruling generals demanded they depart following the coup on July 26.

It was the third time in less than 18 months that French troops were sent packing from a country in the Sahel.

They were forced to leave fellow former colonies Mali last year and Burkina Faso earlier this year following military takeovers in those countries too.

More at link

Perhaps China will walk in and clean it up.

quote:

Originally posted by jed7s9b:
Perhaps China will walk in and clean it up.

Russia already is. They've entered into security agreements and moved Wagner forces into the other nearby West African countries that France left. And Niger just entered defense cooperation talks with Russia a few weeks ago as well, after terminating the last of their military agreements with the EU.

So they will further assure significant control of energy into Europe.

Niger Severs Ties With US Military After Alarm Raised Junta Will Supply Uranium To Iran

https://www.zerohedge.com/geop...-supply-uranium-iran

Niger announced over the weekend that it is suspending military cooperation with the United States, in a significant blow to the Pentagon's presence in West Africa, which is likely to result in Washington being forced to withdraw its troops, also in a major blow to AFRICOM's influence on the continent.

Last year's coup saw a military-led government come to power, which from the start signaled rough and uncertain times ahead for US-Niger relations. A Saturday statement by Nigerien junta spokesman Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane said, "Niger regrets the intention of the American delegation to deny the sovereign Nigerien people the right to choose their partners and types of partnerships capable of truly helping them fight against terrorism."

This charge of the US not respecting the West African nation's sovereignty comes in reaction to recent Western intelligence claims that Niger has been engaged in secret talks and deal-making to grant Iran access to its uranium. US officials have also bitterly complained about Niger cozying up to Moscow.

Col. Abdramane addressed the accusation directly: "The government of Niger rejects the false allegations of the head of the American delegation to maintain that it has signed a secret agreement on uranium with the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said.

American officials are now worried about the major drone base only recently built at a cost of $110 million called Air Base 201, which was crucial for Pentagon drone surveillance operations over the region. Likely it will now have to be shuttered.

Since the ouster of President Mahamoud Bazoum by military generals, the Biden administration has been scrambling to find influence amid fears the junta is cementing ties with Russia as well as the two neighboring countries also 'unfriendly' to the West: Mali and Burkina Faso, also led by juntas.

Among the first major acts that Niger’s post-coup government did was to expel France's some 1,500 troops - all of which finally left in December. For months it has been expected that the other big 'imperial power' - the United States - would soon be booted too. The US is commonly estimated to have 1,100 troops in the country.

More at link

Nightmare in Niger — Exclusive: Biden Administration Leaves Hundreds of U.S. Troops ‘Hostage’ in Niger

https://www.breitbart.com/poli...roops-hostage-niger/

More than 1,000 U.S. troops are effectively being held “hostage” in Niger with medical supplies running low — stuck between the military junta-controlled government’s demands for them to leave and the Biden administration’s refusal to let them go home after the end of their deployments, according to a report prepared by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and obtained exclusively by Breitbart News.

In addition, the report accuses Biden administration officials of trying to cover up the situation to lawmakers, as well as to troops deployed there and their families anxiously awaiting their return.

“Our troops are currently sitting on a powder keg caused by political indecision at the top of the Department of State and Department of Defense. With a military junta in charge — who detests our presence and considers us unserious and predatory — the situation seems to be setting the groundwork for catastrophic diplomatic collapse like we saw during the 2012 Benghazi attack. Additionally, these troops are already running short on necessary, life-saving supplies, such as blood and medications,” the report by Gaetz’s office said.

“They are, in effect, hostages of an indecisive Commander-in-Chief,” the report said.

Gaetz, during a congressional hearing on Tuesday, slammed Army leaders for leaving U.S. soldiers in harm’s way without resupplies coming.



The report is based on interviews by Gaetz’s office with troops currently stationed in Niger, who reached out to Gaetz’s office after they did not receive assistance from the Departments of Defense and State.

The service members are currently deployed to Airbase 101 (AB101) in the capital of Niger, Niamey, as part of the 768th Expeditionary Airbase Squadron (768 EABS), which is comprised of active duty, Reserve, Air National Guard Airmen, Army Special Forces and contract support. There are about 450 personnel at Air Base 101. Until the takeover by the junta, the base was a major hub for U.S. intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) against terrorist groups Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State in West Africa, Boko Haram, and Ansaru. It was also a hub for U.S. military advisers supporting Niger’s forces.

The U.S. troop presence became threatened after the military junta, known as the Conseil National pour la Sauvegarde de la Patrie (CNSP), or the National Council for the Safeguard of the Fatherland, declared it had taken over the country on July 26, 2023.

Just a few months before, Secretary of State Antony Blinken had praised Niger as “a model of resilience, a model of democracy, a model of cooperation.” The junta declared in March 2024 a cancellation of the military accords with the United States, after a series of meetings between the government and Assistant Secretary of State Molly Phee and U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) Commander Marine Gen. Michael Langley, according to the report.

“This deterioration of diplomatic arrangements has led to our servicemembers being caught in the middle of a standoff between an inept Department of State and a U.S.-trained Nigerian coup-force. This breakdown has led to total cessation of diplomatic clearance overflights, preventing the delivery of mail, necessary medical supplies, blood to replenish the blood bank (which requires constant turnover due to expiration windows), equipment and repair supplies; and other routine materiel from the United States,” the report said.

“Personnel rotations for service members have been halted, leaving our troops stranded without any indication of relief or return home, as replacements [aren’t] authorized to enter Niger,” it added.

The report said American contractors who maintain the American base have also been prohibited from entering the country, and that conditions are deteriorating as existing contractors leave upon their visas expiring. In addition, Niger is prohibiting other allies in the country from providing relief or logistics support to U.S. troops. “There is no end in sight,” the report said.

The report noted that the troops are in a precarious situation, with the government expressing its demand for U.S. troops to leave and the local population increasingly wondering “Why is the U.S. here?” It also noted that tension with the United States has escalated since France’s departure, leaving the U.S. as the main western presence to oppose.

Perhaps most concerning is that medical supplies are running low. The blood bank at AB101 — which needs constant replenishment due to routine expiration — is not being rotated for use in the event of a mass casualty or medical emergency, the report said. In addition, service members who require medication for acute or chronic issues are facing the depletion of their prescriptions with no resupply in sight, the report said. Malaria medication is also running low.

One senior officer at AB101 said, “On average, throughout the [Expeditionary Air Base Squadron], each person has an average of 23 days of medication left. The fewest amount is 7 and the highest is 80 pills. Role 1 (Medical) has 1800 pills in stock which equates to a 9-day supply if each EABS member were given an equal number of pills. One consideration, it is illegal to share prescription medication even if it is the same type of medicine.”

Gaetz’s report noted that just last month, a senior defense official seemed to downplay the seriousness of the situation.

Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Celeste Ann Wallander testified to Congress in March that the junta’s demands for U.S. troops to leave “is actually quite a mixed message.”

“They have declared this [Status of Forces Agreement]… to be non-operational, [but] they have assured us that American military forces are protected, and they will take no action that would endanger them,” she said.

In addition, Gaetz’s report said the Biden administration has been hiding the real number of U.S. troops in Niger.

The administration on December 7, 2023, claimed in a report to Congress that there were “approximately 648 military personnel” in Niger. However, the report said that the number remains “closer to 1,100 DoD-affiliated persons” between two locations in Niger, AB101 and Air Base 201 (AB201), outside the Nigerian city of Agadez.

The report also described a “disjointed” Biden administration response, with the Departments of Defense and State “not on the same page,” and AFRICOM and U.S. Air Force Europe-Air Force Europe-Air Force Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA) blaming other departments, agencies, and commands.

“Meanwhile, no cohesive intelligence picture is agreed upon; no planning on that understanding is occurring; and no clear guidance or the next steps for AB101 or AB201 are being issued. This leaves the ground force commander(s) and his staff(s) with complete uncertainty about what to expect,” the report said.

The report said Ambassador Kathleen FitzGibbon and Senior Defense Official/Defense Attaché (SDO/DATT) Colonel Nora Nelson-Richter are covering up the failure of their diplomatic approach and suppressing intelligence assessments.

Nelson-Richter has been one of “the main actors knowingly lying about the diplomatic reality,” the report said.

The report also exposes other concerning issues, such as U.S. taxpayers continuing to fund the U.S. military presence in Niger at nearly $1 million per month, while service members are prevented from doing their jobs and essentially sitting idle. That amount includes food and water for service members that do not pass U.S. standards for edibility or potability.

According to the report, service members at AB101 are also concerned about the camp running “exceedingly low on personal hygiene supplies, with only a few days’ or weeks’ worth remaining for a camp of over 400.”

To add insult to injury, unidentified “near-peer adversaries” — believed to be Russian forces — are given “unfettered access” to Niger.

“Our near-peer adversaries are gaining unfettered access to Niger while our Department of State misrepresents the truth and intentionally buries assessments of our intelligence experts in the region to maintain the façade,” the report said.

https://www.scribd.com/documen...er-Report#from_embed

https://twitter.com/washington.../1781490743074242824

Must be fun times over there

Russian troops enter base housing US military in Niger, US official says

quote:

Russian military personnel have entered an air base in Niger that is hosting U.S. troops, a senior U.S. defense official told Reuters, a move that follows a decision by Niger's junta to expel U.S. forces.

The military officers ruling the West African nation have told the U.S. to withdraw its nearly 1,000 military personnel from the country, which until a coup last year had been a key partner for Washington's fight against insurgents who have killed thousands of people and displaced millions more.

A senior U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Russian forces were not mingling with U.S. troops but were using a separate hangar at Airbase 101, which is next to Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey, Niger's capital.
The move by Russia's military, which Reuters was the first to report, puts U.S. and Russian troops in close proximity at a time when the nations' military and diplomatic rivalry is increasingly acrimonious over the conflict in Ukraine.
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