US builds drone base in Niger
News agencies report that the United States Air Force is building a multi-million dollar base for armed drones in Niger. The Niger Air Base 201 is expected to be functional by early 2019 and lies a few miles outside Agadez, Niger. U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) spokeswoman Samantha Reho has attempted to justify the base by claiming that it “will be crucial in the fight against extremism”. “The location in Agadez will improve U.S. Africa Command’s capability to facilitate intelligence-sharing that better supports Niger and other partner nations, such as Nigeria, Chad, Mali and other neighbours in the region and will improve our capability to respond to regional security issues,” Reho said.
The drones, with surveillance and added striking capabilities, will have a range enabling them to reach a number of West and North African countries. Associated Press (AP) reports that the sophisticated base will eventually house fighter jets and MQ-9 drones transferred from the capital Niamey.
US Air Force officials have pointed out that the $110 million project is the largest troop labour construction project in U.S. history and that the base will cost $15 million annually to operate. According to AP, the drones at the base are expected to target different groups in countries throughout the Sahel, which is a sprawling region just south of the Sahara, including the area around Lake Chad. Commander Brad Harbaugh, who is in charge of the new base has stated that “the intelligence gathered by the drones can be used by Niger and other U.S. partners for prosecuting extremists”.
News agencies report that people in Niger have expressed their opposition to the increasing US militarisation of their country. The publication Business Insider quotes one Niger citizen, Amadou Roufai, as stating, "We are afraid of falling back into the same situation as in Afghanistan, with many mistakes made by American soldiers who did not always know the difference between a wedding ceremony and a training of terrorist groups," , while another, Nouhou Mahamadou, declared "The presence of foreign bases in general and American in particular is a serious surrender of our sovereignty and a serious attack on the morale of the Nigerien military,".
The US under the banner of ‘fighting terrorism in Africa’ is tightening its military grip on the continent while destabilising entire regions and spreading insecurity. The US must end its interference on the African continent and withdraw its military forces and installations from there.
The drones, with surveillance and added striking capabilities, will have a range enabling them to reach a number of West and North African countries. Associated Press (AP) reports that the sophisticated base will eventually house fighter jets and MQ-9 drones transferred from the capital Niamey.
US Air Force officials have pointed out that the $110 million project is the largest troop labour construction project in U.S. history and that the base will cost $15 million annually to operate. According to AP, the drones at the base are expected to target different groups in countries throughout the Sahel, which is a sprawling region just south of the Sahara, including the area around Lake Chad. Commander Brad Harbaugh, who is in charge of the new base has stated that “the intelligence gathered by the drones can be used by Niger and other U.S. partners for prosecuting extremists”.
News agencies report that people in Niger have expressed their opposition to the increasing US militarisation of their country. The publication Business Insider quotes one Niger citizen, Amadou Roufai, as stating, "We are afraid of falling back into the same situation as in Afghanistan, with many mistakes made by American soldiers who did not always know the difference between a wedding ceremony and a training of terrorist groups," , while another, Nouhou Mahamadou, declared "The presence of foreign bases in general and American in particular is a serious surrender of our sovereignty and a serious attack on the morale of the Nigerien military,".
The US under the banner of ‘fighting terrorism in Africa’ is tightening its military grip on the continent while destabilising entire regions and spreading insecurity. The US must end its interference on the African continent and withdraw its military forces and installations from there.
