African securityU.S. opens a second drone base in Niger
The Pentagon has reached an agreement with the government of Niger to open a second U.S. drone base in the landlocked country. The base, in the city of Agadez, will help the U.S. Air Force track Islamist militants who have gained control of remote parts of North and West Africa. U.S. and French troops already operate out of a military base in Niamey, Niger’s capital, where drones are set to conduct reconnaissance flights throughout the region.
The Pentagon has reached an agreement with the government of Niger to open a second U.S. drone base in the landlocked country. The base, in the city of Agadez, will help the U.S. Air Force track Islamist militants who have gained control of remote parts of North and West Africa. U.S. and French troops already operate out of a military base in Niamey, Niger’s capital, where drones are set to conduct reconnaissance flights throughout the region.
The Washington Post reports that the agreement signals a closer relationship between the U.S. military and France in northern Africa after years of quarrels. In 2008, France reduced its military presence in Africa and instead opened a base in the Persian Gulf, where the U.S. military had dominated for decades. Simultaneously, the Pentagon created Africom, its Africa Command, and expanded relationships with former-French African colonies.
Now both France and the United States have formed a united front against Islamists fighters in the region. In July, French president François Hollande announced operation Barkhane, in which France would permanently deploy 3,000 troops to bases in Mali, Chad, Niger, and Burkina Faso. This deployment allows the U.S. Air Force to focus on drone and other airborne missions, while French forces tackle ground missions.
On 11 August, the Obama administration approved $10 million in emergency aid to help airlift French troops and provide midair refueling for French aircraft deployed to West Africa, signaling the U.S. support of operation Barkhane. “They have a similar strategy and aim about what they are doing,” said Sarah Covington, a sub-Saharan Africa analyst at IHS Country Risk. “The French have been in that region for decades now and have an extremely strong presence.”
From the Agadez base, U.S. drones will better monitor a desert corridor connecting northern Mali with southern Libya, a key route for arms traffickers, drug smugglers, and Islamist fighters. Agadez is “an attractive option” for a base, “given its proximity to the threats in the region,” said Benjamin A. Benson, a spokesman for Africom.
