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Niger
and neighboring countries. Image source/credit: The Intercept
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The United States is
investing in a military air base capable of deploying drones in Niger's central
city of Agadez, the Pentagon confirmed.
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A
US-made Reaper drone operated by the French military as part of Operation
Barkhane, at the French army base in Niamey, Niger ©Philippe Desmazes (AFP)
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The
United States already has a military presence in the country's southwestern
capital of Niamey, where it stations MQ-9 Reaper drones and supports France's
anti-jihadist Barkhane force, among others.
The
US "has negotiated an agreement with the government of Niger to allow for
the construction of a new runway and all associated pavements, facilities and
infrastructure" at the base in Agadez, Pentagon spokeswoman Michelle
Baldanza said.
The
Agadez site will remain Niger's and is not slated to become a US post like
Djibouti, home to the only permanent US base on the African continent, she
said.
Baldanza
estimated the US investment will cost US$50 million, though The Intercept, which
first reported the story, said it is slated to cost US$100 million.
According
to the investigative news site, which obtained formerly confidential military
documents, Niger is the only country in the region willing to allow a US base
for MQ-9 Reapers, and has positioned itself to be a key hub for US military
operations in the region.
"There's
a trend toward greater engagement and a more permanent presence in West Africa
-- the Maghreb and the Sahel," Adam Moore of the University of California
Los Angeles told the site.
Investment in Agadez "suggests that Niger is becoming, after Djibouti, the second most important country for US military counterterrorism operations on the continent," he added.
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