This week, U.S. troops withdrew from both Niger and Chad, dealing a severe blow to the Biden administration’s African diplomacy and counterterrorism policy.
Last Friday, the administration of leftist President Joe Biden announced it would withdraw more than 1,000 U.S. military personnel from Niger. Niger’s civilian government is overthrown A coup in July 2023 placed power in the hands of General Abdullahmane Chiani.
Western countries and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) quickly rejected the military regime. ECOWAS imposed sanctions on the Ciani government, but lifted up Due to humanitarian concerns, they will release them in February 2024.
Niger is in a coalition with two other military regimes, Burkina Faso and Mali, which together have enough power to confront ECOWAS and rebuff the Biden administration’s demands for a swift return to civilian rule. had influence. As relations with the United States and Europe deteriorated, Niger became increasingly reliant on the repressive axis of Russia, China, and Iran for security and economic aid.
Last week, the Nigerian military government signed It signed a $400 million deal with Chinese state oil company CNPC to secure cash flow after losing the United States and France as oil customers.Around the same time, the Russian military also began to mobilize. arrival Niger’s military rulers consider it invaluable in preventing ECOWAS and Western armies from invading to restore civilian rule.
Nigeria’s military government declared in March that America’s security agreements with the ousted civilian government were “unlawful” and “in violation of all constitutional rules”, while mass protests The arrival of Russian troops is clearly significant as it was planned to demand the withdrawal of US troops from the country. Time was up.
The Biden administration’s last diplomatic mission was in March. disasterJunta officials derided the American delegation as “condescending” and refused to arrange a meeting with Ciani. Administration officials tweeted off the record that the junta may allow a small number of U.S. military operators to conduct counterterrorism operations from within the country after the main force withdrawal is complete in the coming months.
One of the main points of contention between the military regime and U.S. officials is rumored deal This is to give Iran access to Niger’s vast uranium reserves. Progress on the deal reportedly occurred during a visit to Tehran in January by military junta-appointed Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Ramin.
Some sources say Niger already has a secret agreement with Iran. Junta officials reportedly became very “nervous” when a US representative mentioned the uranium deal during a diplomatic mission in March.
“I think they asked us to leave because they were not going to respond to our concerns. We are concerned about the lack of movement in announcing a transition to democratic governance and we hope they will cooperate. “We also had concerns about our external partners,” the U.S. official said. Said Reuters on Wednesday referred to all of the above confusion in a roundabout way.
US Air Force senior officer deployed to Niger It has been submitted A private whistleblower complaint filed with Congress last week accuses the Biden administration of negligence in putting U.S. troops in Niger at risk as de facto “hostages” and concealing evidence of a rapidly deteriorating relationship between Niger and the United States. did.
“They have failed to be transparent with the American military personnel deployed to this country,” the whistleblower said.
Biden diplomacy in Africa turned into a full-blown disaster when the Pentagon announced Thursday that about 75 U.S. Special Forces operators had been captured. kicked out From Chad.
Chad’s withdrawal was a much bigger surprise than Niger’s. Chad’s Air Force Chief of Staff, General Amin Idris, bypassed normal diplomatic channels. memo Written in French on official letterhead addressed to U.S. defense attachés, it threatened to terminate Chad’s Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with the United States.
The letter from Idriss did not say that all U.S. troops needed to leave Chad, but did name a strategically important special operations force (SOTF) stationed at a former French base. Ta.
left wing new york times (New York Times) Quote “Current and former U.S. officials” said the letter “could be a negotiating tactic by some military and government officials to pressure the United States into a more favorable status of forces agreement.” I guessed it. Some of these observers still believe that the U.S. troop withdrawal will only be temporary, and that is undoubtedly the case. do not have It’s a bluff, as the Pentagon announced Thursday it would begin “relocating some U.S. forces from Chad.”
of new york times He noted that Chad’s move is all the more surprising because the relationship between Chad and the U.S. military has traditionally been very strong.
Chad’s presidential guard is the best trained and equipped in Africa’s semi-arid region known as the Sahel. The country hosts military exercises by the United States. Pentagon Africa Command officials said Chad is a key partner in the effort to combat Boko Haram, which involves several countries in the Lake Chad Basin.
“U.S. Africa Command is committed to building lasting partnerships with Chad and other African countries in the Sahel to address mutual security concerns and help promote a peaceful and prosperous future for the region. “We remain dedicated to our mission,” said Army Commander Gen. Michael E. Langley. He spoke during a visit to Chad in January, according to a statement from the command.
During his trip, General Langley met with Chad’s military chief of staff, General Abakar Abdelkerim Daoud, and other leaders, according to the statement. Discussions focused on regional security challenges and Chad’s efforts to counter violent extremism in the Sahel region.
On the other hand, although Chad is not ruled by a military regime like Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso, incomplete It is also a garden where democracy blooms. Elections will be held on May 6th, with the likely winner being “interim” president Mahamat Deby. Mr Deby has held the position since his father, Idriss Deby Itno, expired in 2021 after 30 years of dictatorship.
Chad wants influence over the US to secure Deby in power, or at least welcomes a dangerous regime whose axis of oppression falls short of US standards of democratic purity. Maybe that’s what Washington needs to remember. The Pentagon clarified Thursday that it believes “security cooperation” with Chad “will resume after the May 6 presidential election.”
washington post Foreign affairs columnist Ishaan Tharoor saw The news from Chad and Niger comes as “hard news” for US security interests as the Biden administration is forced to “withdraw” from the terrorist-infested Sahel region.
Although Tharoor had hoped that business in Chad would boil down to “a little nationalistic grooming by the country’s weak interim leadership,” the rift with Niger is clearly much deeper, and these Taken together, this presents an opportunity for Russia, China, and Iran. Their negative impact extends to the Sahel.
China has hit record approval ratings in African opinion polls after spending billions of dollars on development projects and resource deals, while Russia lends itself out as the bodyguard of military junta strongmen. has become a popular alternative to former European colonial powers and the United States. To moralize.
Ironically, just as the United States initially flourished in Africa as an alternative to the European specter of African colonialism, so now the Russians have succeeded in presenting themselves as an alternative to the American bully. are doing.
Earlier this year, the Biden administration believed it was securing relations with Chad by warning its own government that Russia might be plotting to assassinate President Deby or overthrow the government. hosting Deby made an official visit to Moscow and boasted of “expanded cooperation” with Chad and other African countries soon. Russian diplomats tweeted that the United States’ “extreme pressure” on the Chadian government was creating opportunities for Russian expansion.
The story coming out of Africa right now is the Biden administration’s continued belief that Russia and China are defeating Africa by offering protection and prosperity in exchange for democracy preached to military regimes and strongmen across Africa. What a surprise. Even if you believe that Africa’s military dictators and presidents-for-life could bear to hear a few lessons about political freedom, unethical and ruthless competition that promises to keep them in power indefinitely No wonder you may prefer to do business with others.
