Germany officially ends military presence in Niger

On August 30, the German military left its air base in Niger, completing the withdrawal of troops from the Sahel country.

The last German soldiers in Niger returned home on August 30. (Source: DW)

AFP news agency reported that senior military officials from Germany and Niger issued a joint statement on the completion of the troop withdrawal.

Accordingly, 60 German soldiers and 146 tons of equipment were brought home on five transport planes. The statement said: "This withdrawal does not mark the end of military cooperation between Niger and Germany; in fact, both sides are committed to maintaining military relations."

In late May 2024, Berlin and Niamey reached a temporary agreement allowing the German military to continue operating an air base in the Niger capital until the end of August. However, negotiations to extend the agreement have failed.

On July 6, Germany announced that it would end operations at its air base in Niger and withdraw the remaining 30 troops by August 31. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said: “It is no longer possible to continue providing security assistance to Niger as before because trust is no longer there.”

However, she pledged that Berlin "will not stop humanitarian aid, because the Nigerien people are not responsible for what happened".

Since the July 2023 coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, Niger has been under military rule.

The regime has turned its back on other allies such as France and the United States, demanding that Western countries with forces in Niger withdraw their troops.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/duc-chinh-thuc-cham-dut-hien-dien-quan-su-o-niger-284504.html