Germany vacates military base in Niger, ruled by military junta

On Friday, 30 August, the German army liberated an airbase in Niger and returned its troops home, completing its peacekeeping mission.

Here's What We Know

In late May, Germany and Niger reached a temporary agreement allowing the German military to continue operating its airbase in the capital Niamey until the end of August.

However, negotiations to extend this agreement broke down, in part because the base's personnel could no longer enjoy immunity from prosecution.

"This withdrawal does not mean the end of military cooperation between Niger and Germany, in fact both sides are committed to maintaining military relations," the two sides said in a joint statement.

The five cargo planes carrying 60 German troops and 146 tonnes of equipment landed at Wunstorf airbase in Germany, where they were met by State Secretary for Defence Niels Hilmer.

Germany has operated the base in Niger since February 2016, and once had as many as 3,200 personnel. However, the African country is currently ruled by a military junta that came to power after a coup d'état in July 2023. They ousted the democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, who has been imprisoned since then.

The regime has turned its back on other Western allies, such as France and the United States, to ask Russia and Iran for help.

Source: The Defence Post