LONDON (Reuters) – Niger, a key ally of Western countries against Islamist insurgencies in West Africa’s semi-arid Sahel region, is host to a number of foreign troops. Those numbers have increased over the past two years following coups in neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso, which soured relations between the countries and their Western partners.
The military ouster of President Mohamed Bazoum threatens to strain Niger’s ties with the West. Following is a list of Western countries with troops in the country.
FRANCE
France has between 1,000 and 1,500 troops in Niger, with support from drones and warplanes. It had counter-insurgency troops in West Africa for a decade but turned to Niger to base the bulk of its forces following coups in neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
France says the role of its troops is solely to support Niger’s army when local forces identify operations in the border regions connecting Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.
Paris has sought to avert potential criticism of its role in the Sahel and minimise anti-French sentiment by shifting its focus to supporting local forces, rather than having Western soldiers doing much of the leg work on the ground.
UNITED STATES
There are about 1,100 U.S. troops in Niger, where the U.S. military operates out of two bases. In 2017, the government of Niger approved the use of armed American drones to target militants.
It is unclear how much the United States has given in security assistance. The U.S. Embassy in Niamey in 2021 said the Pentagon and State Department had provided Niger more than $500 million in equipment and training since 2012.
ITALY
Italy has about 300 soldiers in Niger, according to the country’s defence ministry.
EUROPEAN UNION
The bloc has 50-100 troops for a three-year military training mission it set up in Niger in December to help the country improve its logistics and infrastructure. Germany said in April it would deploy up to 60 soldiers to the mission.
(Reporting by Reuters bureaus; Writing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise; Editing by Nick Macfie)
