The United States of America (USA) military personnel stationed in Niger will leave completely “at the beginning of August“, announced the leader of the US military command for Africa (AFRICOM), fulfilling the demand of the military junta that currently governs the country.

"The withdrawal is going well, we are ahead of schedule, thanks to the excellent coordination we have with our Nigerien counterparts."

“I hope it will be completed by the beginning of August.”

Kenneth Ekman, who is coordinating the withdrawal from Niger, said at a press conference in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, as quoted by the France-Presse news agency (AFP).

By early July, all US troops at the Niamey base had left the country, leaving around 200 at the Agadez drone base in the north of the country.

The US was in Niger to combat extremists who regularly attack the country, but the military regime in power in Niamey last year reviewed international partnerships and demanded its departure in March.

"The consequences for regional security are very worrying; the violent extremist threat in the Sahel is growing and increasingly threatening neighboring countries, and Côte d'Ivoire is one of them."

General Ekman also stated at the press conference in Abidjan.

Asked about a possible deployment to Ivory Coast, referring in particular to the north of the country, on the border with Burkina Faso and Mali, where the threat of Islamic extremism is greater, he said that;

"The US intends to work with Ivorian forces at their bases, where they are already operating, to solidify existing partnerships."

However, he denied reports circulating in the press in recent weeks that the US would build a base in Odienné, in northwestern Ivory Coast.

“Why build if something already exists?”

“We have no plans to build a base in Odienné.”

He assured, adding that he was sensitive to the concerns that the construction of a North American base could generate in public opinion.

In recent years, the US has conducted military exercises in Ivory Coast under the name “flintlock”, bringing together hundreds of soldiers from various Western and African armies to strengthen operational capabilities in the fight against Islamic extremism.