Germany will hand over control of an air base in Niger after failing to reach an agreement with Nigerian authorities on legal immunity for stationed soldiers, the Defense Ministry announced today to the German Parliament.
The Niamey airbase, key to Western efforts to fight terrorism in the region, will close on August 31 and all troops will return to Germany. 100 German soldiers were stationed at this base.
The US has also announced that it will leave its base in Niamey this weekend. In the coming weeks, they will also leave the base in Agadez, about 750 kilometers northeast of Niamey, from where they operated their reconnaissance drones. French forces withdrew from Mali and Burkina Faso last year.
Russia has become increasingly active in the region, and its forces responsible for training Niger's soldiers are stationed at a base in Niamey.