Niger Air Base 201

Niger AB-201   (Military base)
US and Niger flags are raised side by side at the base camp for air forces and other personnel supporting the construction of Niger AB-201 (photo April 2018)

Niger Air Base 201 is a United States drone airbase near Agadez, Niger.

Located about 5km southeast of Agadez, Base 201 is owned by the Nigerien military but built and paid for by the United States at a cost estimated at $110 million.

Delayed by 12 months

In November 2019, US Africa Command announced that intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations are now being conducted out of the base in Agadez, Niger, which is designed to house armed drones and other aircraft that have historically operated out of Niger’s capital, Niamey.

AFRICOM commander US Army General Stephen Townsend said:

“We are working with our African and international partners to counter security threats in West Africa. The construction of this base demonstrates our investment in our African partners and mutual security interests in the region.”

Regional CT Program

US special forces and other covert units operate at Niger AB-201 with Special Operations aircraft and armed drones in support of the US-led Regional Counter-Terrorism Program in the Sahel.

Following the military coup in Niger in July 2023, Victoria Nuland visited the country amid concerns that the US forces were about to be ousted from Niger.

Program in decline

On 11 August 2023, Scott Ritter tweeted:

This counterterrorism program is in decline. We used to be in Mali. They had a coup. They ousted us.

Now we're in Niger. If they oust us, we've got nothing. And we can't have nothing because we are deemed to be in Africa in place of strategic relevance. Why?

Because of Russia. We're afraid of Russia.

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References

This page imported content from Wikipedia on 11 August 2023.
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