U.S. quietly has ramped up military presence in Niger

PRI’s The World

The recent deaths of four U.S. Special Forces soldiers in an ambush in Niger was the first indication many Americans had that the U.S. had boots on the ground in the West African nation.

The U.S. soldiers — all Green Berets — were training troops from Nigeria in counterterrorism operations when they came under attack.

They were first deployed to the West Africa nation in 2015 when then-President Barack Obama sent 350 U.S. troops to the country to combat al-Qaida-related groups including Boko Haram.

“The area these troops were operating in has been plagued in recent months with a lot of competition actually between Islamist terrorist groups, each trying to show itself as the better, more lethal, more deadly force,” said J. Peter Pham, a vice president at the Atlantic Council's Africa Center in Washington.

The U.S. presence in Niger isn’t limited to training African troops. The Air Force Expeditionary Air Base squadrons operate a drone base out of Niger’s capital of Niamey. And the Pentagon is building a $100 million drone base in Agadez, in central Niger.

“Training operations have picked up in recent years, and with this incident, the U.S. seems to be getting closer and closer to combat operations,” said Andrew Lebovich, a visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

Although the military presence in West Africa is robust, the vacuum in United States’ diplomatic efforts there grows wider daily. That's in part because Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has left unfilled many top Africa slots at the State Department. The exodus of experienced diplomats at the State Department, including staffers with long Africa experience, continues.

The White House has named neither an assistant secretary of state for African affairs nor a principal deputy.

“We do have U.S. ambassadors present in these countries,” said Mr. Pham, who has been mentioned for the job of assistant secretary of state for African affairs in a Trump administration. “It’s desirable to get people in place.

“But you know, it’s worth recalling that other administrations have also taken a long time.”

Deepening involvement in Africa translates to a learning curve for U.S. forces there, said Nasser Weddady, a regional security analyst. French military forces are posted in the region and have deeper cultural understanding because France is a former colonial power in the region, along with having business interests there, he said.

“The French know these places. This is their Tijuana. This is their Mexico,” Mr. Weddady said of the Sahel. “The U.S. is still discovering the place.”

News of the deaths appeared to Mr. Weddady to be a turning point in U.S. involvement in Africa, and he thinks there may be eagerness to expand operations in what he called the logic of war, which could lead to a spiral of involvement.

“How do you strike that ... balance of security and assistance?” Mr. Weddady said.