News - Middle East: Since the military-led overthrow of Niger’s neo-colonial president, Mohamed Bazoum, in July last year, the country has started the process of ousting colonial forces it sees as parasitic and exploitative.

The first entity it targeted was its longtime colonist France. And now, the latest entity to leave the West African country in humiliation is the United States, the usual suspect.

One of the immediate demands of the military government in Niger since last year was the removal of foreign forces that have asserted themselves as security guarantors.

But nothing could be further than the truth. The concerns for security by Western powers is a disguise for the continuation of colonialist practices - resource theft, labor exploitation, military testing sites, and other activities imperialist powers cannot conduct on their own soil. 

France was the first to be kicked out, with the last plane leaving in December 2023. France’s relationship with Niger was always a parasitic and colonial one.

For the past few decades, France relied on Niger for cheap export of uranium into France - which is a commodity that France desperately depends on as a significant chunk of its power is sustained through nuclear energy. 

With France out of the way, Niger’s military junta-led government turned to the US, which has a heavy technological military presence in the country.

In March, the military government announced it would revoke all existing military accords with the United States. This announcement came shortly after the US government threatened the Niger junta for pursuing further economic partnership with Iran and military partnership with Russia. 

Now the US is set to be completely out of Niger by September of this year. 

For the United States, this means the loss of two air bases it used to conduct surveillance and military operations in the region. One airbase in particular, Air Base 201, exceeded a cost of $100 million to build and maintain - all approved by US Congress. 

The bases were used primarily for spying and reconnaissance but also carried out military strikes using manned and unmanned aerial vehicles, primarily drones.

The US government asserts that these bases are used to combat extremist elements, including Al Qaeda and Daesh. Niger’s junta government rejects this outright, with junta leader Abdramane stating that the very presence of US troops in Niger was illegal and violated constitutional and democratic rules and that US presence was unilaterally imposed on Niger since 2012. 

Niger’s previous neocolonial regime backed by the West ignored the popular will and possibly subverted its own laws to welcome Americans into the country. The junta will not allow this practice to continue.