Drones, secret CIA base, millions of dollars in aid... Why Americans are at the forefront in Niger

While attempts at ECOWAS talks in Niger are at a standstill, and France is offside after the tackles of the putschists who have come to power, the United States is coming to the fore of the diplomatic scene. On Monday, Under-Secretary of State Victoria Nuland was sent as an envoy to Niamey. If she was able to meet the perpetrators of the coup, the senior American official was refused to see President Bazoum held hostage, as well as the head of the junta, General Tiani. The discussions were “difficult”, she admitted after a clearly sterile interview.

Earlier Monday, the US State Department confirmed that it had made direct contact with the putschists. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said for his part that he was "in regular contact with leaders in Africa, with ECOWAS itself, but also with (its) partners in Europe, including France". "We support the efforts of ECOWAS to restore constitutional order," the US Secretary of State said on RFI on Tuesday.

If the United States is putting so much energy into finding a diplomatic solution, it is because Washington considers Niger both as a bridgehead in the fight against terrorism in West Africa, and as a key ally in its attempt to contain China and Russia on the continent. Last March, Antony Blinken's trip to Niamey marked the very first visit by an American Secretary of State to the country. “Niger is one of the last bastions of American security partnerships in the region,” recalls Stephanie Savell, researcher at Brown University.

From a military point of view, the Americans preceded France in Niger. When France launched Operation Serval in neighboring Mali in 2013 to stop jihadist columns, the US Air Force already had around 200 men in Niger. A discreet presence - the White House only evokes a hundred men - but which acts as a valuable support for the French army, in particular in tactical intelligence. Currently, nearly 1,000 US troops are deployed at Air Base 101 located near Diori Hamani International Airport, Niamey, which serves as a joint mission base for US and French forces.

At the time, historian and military consultant Laurent Touchard wrote in the columns of Jeune Afrique: “Obviously, the agreement is excellent between Niamey and Washington. Good understanding that paradoxically facilitates the discreet tension in relations with Paris: Areva file, dissatisfied memory of the French intervention in Libya... In fact, France crystallizes a certain discontent that increases its significant military presence, thus "diverting" the attention of Americans.

The United States also has a large drone base in the Agadez region in the center of the country. Called Air Base 201, it is, with its 25 square kilometers, the second largest American base in Africa after Djibouti. Equipped with state-of-the-art satellite communications systems, this base serves as the main intelligence and surveillance center for the Americans in the Sahel. Washington would have invested 110 million dollars for its construction and 30 million dollars a year for its maintenance. It notably accommodates MQ-9 Reapers and C17 transport planes. So many aircraft whose free movement is undermined by the closure of airspace following the coup.

In 2018, the New York Times revealed the existence of another secret base installed in the desert, in Dirkou, in the North, and which would be held by the CIA to launch attacks against Islamist insurgents in Libya. In addition, a military agreement has linked Washington and Niamey since 2015 on “security and good governance”, which notably provides for equipment and training, as well as the organization of joint missions.

In addition to this military cooperation, there is significant economic support. American aid to Niger amounts to several hundred million dollars - knowing that "international aid represents 40%" of the national budget, recalled President Bazoum on Thursday in a column published in the Washington Post. Two days after France suspended its development aid for Niger following the coup, the United States announced that it would do the same on several government aid programs, announcing however to maintain “vital” humanitarian aid. on the spot. In 2022, Washington, through USAID, announced an overall amount of assistance to Niger of $400 million for projects in good governance, agriculture, food security or even health, increasing it an additional 200 million until 2024.

Following the coup, the American military presence in Niger, like that of France, is on hold: will the ruling junta, if installed, wish to maintain its defense partnerships with the West? According to the latest events, it seems to be moving more in the same direction as the neighboring juntas in Mali and Burkina Faso, turning to the Russian Wagner militia. The Quai d'Orsay confirmed that the junta made contact with this militia during the trip of a delegation to these two countries last Wednesday.

Could American mediation unblock the Niger file? In any event, President Bazoum, still hostage, seems to have bet on his partner across the Atlantic to come to his aid. The head of state chose the Washington Post to speak from the presidential palace on August 4, calling on his American ally to "restore constitutional order" in Niger, and warning of the "devastating" consequences of the coup. state that could bring the Sahel under "Russian influence".