US Senate Votes to Maintain Troops Presence in Niger Despite Recent Coup

In a recent turn of events in Washington, the United States Senate rejected a bill on Thursday intended to compel President Joe Biden to pull out US troops from Niger, a West African nation whose military officers seized power in July. The legislation saw a convincing defeat with 86 against and a mere 11 in favor.

Earlier this month, the US officially recognized a military coup d'etat in Niger, which under normal circumstances mandates the suspension of aid. However, US officials have confirmed no alterations in their troop presence in the Nigerien country.

Niger is a key ally in Washington's battle against Islamist insurgents, the aggression of whom has resulted in the death of thousands and the displacement of millions more throughout Africa. Approximately 1,000 department of defence personnel currently reside in the country.

The proposed legislation, spearheaded by Republican senator Rand Paul, was grounded in the argument that the US troops were inappropriately stationed without Congress's approval, thereby putting Americans at the risk of being entangled in the Niger conflict.

Senator Paul voiced in a Senate address, “With the Middle East on fire, what sense does it make to have over 1,000 troops in Niger? Does it make sense to station over 1,000 troops in a country ruled by a military junta?”

However, Senator Ben Cardin, Democratic chair of the Senate foreign relations committee, responded that an American withdrawal could leave Niger vulnerable to Russian influence or the Wagner mercenaries.

Over the last decade, US troops have trained Nigerien forces in counterterrorism strategies and operated two military bases. One of these even conducts drone missions against Islamic State and an Al-Qaeda affiliate in the region. Senator Cardin stressed the importance of that region, “We do not give enough attention to that part of the world. We certainly don’t want to signal that we're abandoning that part of the world.”