US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell met with Niger’s Prime Minister Ali Lamine Zeine on Friday and they agreed – after Niger’s demands – that the US would militarily withdraw from the country, according to a State Department official.
In the coming days, there will be conversations over the timeline for the withdrawal with the Department of Defense, the official said.
The major drawdown will significantly impact the US troop presence on the continent of Africa, and the move comes amid serious US concerns about the country’s deepening relationships with Russia and Iran. The New York Times first reported on the expected withdrawal.
Campbell’s meeting with Zeine was their second this week, while he was in Washington, DC, for the World Bank’s spring meetings.
“We can confirm the beginning of discussions between the US and Niger for the orderly withdrawal of US forces from the country,” a defense official told CNN.
amp.cnn.com/cnn/2024/04/19/politics/us-troops-to-withdraw-from-niger