U.S. Military Completes Withdrawal from Niger's Capital

The U.S. military will complete their withdrawal from Niger's Air Base 101 in the capital on Sunday, ending a longstanding partnership in the Sahel region. This follows an order from Niger's ruling junta, which emerged after a coup last year.

The U.S. military is set to finalize the withdrawal of all personnel from Niger's Air Base 101 in the nation's capital by Sunday, according to a two-star U.S. general coordinating the pullout.

Niger's ruling junta, which came to power after a coup last year, ordered the withdrawal of approximately 1,000 U.S. military personnel in April. Until the coup, Niger had been a key partner for Washington in combating insurgents in the Sahel region of Africa, an area plagued by violence that has resulted in thousands of deaths and millions of displaced people.

A joint ceremony will mark the departure of the last U.S. C-17 aircraft, with the government of Niger taking control of former U.S. areas and facilities, as confirmed by Air Force Major General Kenneth Ekman during a video conference from Niger's capital.

(With inputs from agencies.)