According to Reuters, citing its sources in the Pentagon, Russian troops have begun to enter the airbase in Niger where US troops are stationed. This process began after the local junta decided to expel US soldiers from the country.
What is happening in Niger — the first details
According to the military officers who rule the African country, they have called on the United States to withdraw about 1,000 of its soldiers from Niger, which until the coup in 2023 was the main ally of Washington in the fight against the rebels.
An insider of the publication at the US Ministry of Defence says that Russian troops do not mix with American troops, but use a separate hangar.
Reuters draws attention to the fact that the American and Russian troops found themselves in close proximity at a time when the enmity between the countries intensified as much as possible against the background of the Russian-Ukrainian war.
The fate of US facilities in Niger after the withdrawal of troops was even more in question.
"(The situation) is not the best, but in the short term it is manageable," the insider said.
The US is gradually losing influence in Africa
According to journalists, the United States and its partners were forced to withdraw troops from several African countries due to coups that brought anti-Western groups to power.
By the way, earlier American troops left the Republic of Chad, and French troops were expelled from Mali and Burkina Faso.
Against the background of recent events, the Kremlin is doing everything possible to strengthen its relations with African countries, positioning Russia as a friendly country without colonial baggage on the continent.
Mali, for example, has become one of Russia's closest African allies in recent years, and PMC Wagner has deployed troops there to fight jihadist rebels.
