Military personnel stand with flags in a desert setting during a significant event in the Sahel.
The United States has sent a delegation to Niger to begin face-to-face talks with officials in Niamey on withdrawing the more than 1,000 American personnel in the military-ruled country. As part of ongoing negotiations, U.S. Ambassador to Niger Kathleen FitzGibbon and a senior military officer for U.S. Africa Command, Major General Ken Ekman, will meet with ruling government representatives on April 25 “to initiate discussions on an orderly and responsible withdrawal of U.S. forces from Niger.” Niger has been a key base for regional counter-terrorism operations, but the government — a military junta that ousted the country’s president last year — said in March it was ending a military cooperation agreement with Washington.
SOURCE: VOA