Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz on Thursday released a report alleging that U.S. forces based in Niger are in “imminent danger” due to a “withholding of information” by the State Department.
in investigation report Titled “Unwelcome in Niger: An Interim Report by Congressman Matt Gaetz on the U.S. Military Crisis in Niger,” the congressman interviewed multiple military personnel, including one senior U.S. noncommissioned officer, and found that they were “unwelcome in Niger.” They are stranded and left without adequate support.” We need support from the Department of Defense or State Department. ” In April, service members contacted Gates to claim that they were not only prohibited from “performing purported missions,” they were also prohibited from “returning home after deployment.” (Related article: The US is secretly trying to station troops in African countries in hopes of driving them out)
“Since hostilities began within Niger’s government in mid-2023, the Department of Defense has been unable to carry out planned troop rotations or deliver mail, medical supplies, equipment, and other supplies. “The Biden administration is actively suppressing intelligence reports about the state of affairs in Nigeria to avoid the embarrassment of investing hundreds of millions of dollars in a country where U.S. troops are no longer welcome.” stated in the report.
In Niger, the government is currently blocking diplomatic missions from flying over the United States.
Niger has army soldiers who lack access to unit rotations, medicine, and even basic supplies. Now we have voters who can’t even clean up… pic.twitter.com/DpMXb2AThY
— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) April 18, 2024
In March, Niger’s military junta spokesman Colonel Amadou Abdraman said at a press conference that Niger would suspend military cooperation with the United States, adding that recent American flights over the region were illegal. according to To the Associated Press. But then reports emerged that the United States was secretly working with the Nigerian government to negotiate ways to keep troops on the ground.
According to reports, there has yet to be a formal request for troops to withdraw from the National Council for the Defense of the Homeland (CNSP), but Gates’ report was released by U.S. Embassy Ambassador Kathleen Fitzgibbon and senior defense official Col. Nora Nelson, Defense Attaché Officer (SDO/DATT), said: Richter is “covering up” their failures domestically.
Gates claimed that service members “received an email that said something like this: [SDO/DATT] They will request that information in the report be restated in a way that downplays what happened. “All the main content was over the phone,” apparently to avoid leaving any records.
Information from the Office of Special Investigations (OSI) and Special Operations Command Africa (SOCAF) is allegedly dismissed or suppressed and actively “and/or refuted” through the U.S. Embassy.[ing] U.S. Intelligence Community Assessment,” the report states.
“When our AFRICOM leaders look to us to provide the tone on the ground, they first go to the embassy and hear a story that is more diluted or false than what is being reported. “I am aware of at least three reports from OSI on the sentiments of Nigerians that were discredited by the embassy and turned out to be 100% true,” said another military officer.
Additionally, Gates’ report claims that base forces have expressed increasing strains on medical and sanitary supplies. AB101 blood bank military personnel told lawmakers that supplies of malaria drugs and other drugs are in short supply.
“On average, during an EABS period, each person has an average of 23 days of medication left. The minimum quantity is 7 tablets and the maximum quantity is 80 tablets. Role 1 (Medical) has 1800 tablets in stock. , which equates to a nine-day supply if each EABS member is given the same number of pills.One thing to keep in mind is that it is not possible to share prescription drugs, even if they are of the same type. It’s illegal,” the soldier said.
Gaetz said he has written to the State Department, Defense Department and intelligence community to get answers about the situation, and has written to the embassies in Germany and Italy “inquiring about the directives and decrees we have received from the Nigerians.” Ta. Cooperate with U.S. forces domestically. ”
“Our military is currently sitting on a powder keg due to political indecision at the top of the State Department and the Pentagon. “This situation appears to be setting the stage for a catastrophic diplomatic breakdown like the one we saw during the Benghazi attack in 2012,” Gaetz said.
