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By Isabel van Brugen
News Reporter
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Russian military personnel have moved into a military base in Niger where American troops are stationed, U.S. defense officials said Thursday, sparking fears of escalation as tensions mount between Moscow and Washington amid the war in Ukraine.
"[The situation] is not great but in the short-term manageable," a senior U.S. defense official told Reuters.
The arrival of Russian troops at Air Base 101 in Niamey, Niger's capital, follows a demand by the ruling military junta there—which took power in a coup last July—that the U.S. withdraw its nearly 1,000 military personnel from the country.
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Newsweek has contacted Russia's Foreign Ministry and the U.S. Defense Department for comment by email.
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The Context
The proximity of Russian and U.S. troops comes at a time of heightened tensions between Moscow and Washington over the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which was launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin in February 2022.
What We Know
The arrival of Russian personnel to the air base comes after Niger's military junta in March revoked a military accord that allowed U.S. military personnel and civilian staff to operate in the country. After taking control last year, the Niger junta turned to Russia to develop military ties and forced out personnel from France and other European nations.
The unnamed senior U.S. defense official told Reuters that the Russian forces were using a separate hanger at Air Base 101, and that the U.S. and Russian troops were not in contact or operating in the space.
However, "it is not that big of an area," another unnamed U.S. defense official told CNN.
Views
GOP Representative Matt Gaetz accused the Biden administration of endangering the lives of U.S. citizens.
"Last month on April 17th, I told the country on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives that Russians were inside the wire on U.S. Air Base 101 in Niger," Gaetz wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
"Senior defense officials are now confirming what I said was TRUE because their failures were exposed by a senior enlisted whistleblower stationed in Niger," Gaetz added. "Joe Biden and [Secretary of State Antony Blinken]'s weakness puts Americans in danger and empowers our adversaries."
Lara Seligman, a journalist covering the Pentagon for Politico, posted on X that the development raises a "big question" about "what happens to the bases in Niger that currently house American troops once they leave."
"This is more of a problem for Airbase 201, the drone base the US paid $100M to build," Seligman said on X.
What's Next
The majority of remaining U.S. troops in Niger are at Air Base 201 near the city of Agadez, which is located more than 500 miles away from Air Base 101 in Niamey.
On Wednesday, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters that the U.S. is waiting to sent a delegation to Niger to discuss the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the country.
"That delegation has not left but they were—they should be scheduled hopefully to leave this week, and that will be to continue to have those conversations about withdrawing U.S. forces," Singh said.
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