Russian Troops Enter US Airbase In Niger

Will there be direct conflict?

Russian servicemen entered the airbase in Niger, where US troops are stationed.

This is reported by Reuters.

An anonymous senior US defence official told the publication that Russian servicemen entered the airbase in Niger, where US troops are stationed. This allegedly followed a decision by Niger's junta to expel US troops from the country.

Officers running the West African country have asked the US to withdraw nearly 1,000 troops from the country, which until last year's coup was Washington's key partner in fighting rebels who have killed thousands of people and forced millions to flee their homes.

Now it has been revealed that Russian troops are not mixing with US troops but are using a separate hangar at Air Base 101, which is next to the Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey, Niger's capital.

This move by the Russian military puts American and Russian troops in close proximity at a time when military and diplomatic rivalries between the countries are becoming increasingly bitter over the conflict in Ukraine.

The U.S. and its allies have been forced to withdraw troops from a number of African countries following coups that brought to power groups seeking to distance themselves from Western governments.

In addition to the impending withdrawal from Niger, US troops have also left Chad in recent days, while French troops have been driven out of Mali and Burkina Faso.