Niger receives $13 million in military equipment from the United States – Military Africa

Niger has received several military equipment from Washington to support its fight against the jihadists who rage in the west and south-east of the country.

The cargo consists mainly of vehicles, including 8 OTT Puma armored vehicles, 43 Toyota Land Cruiser trucks and other equipment worth 13 million dollars (8.5 billion CFA francs). The new support for Niger “is proof of the solidity of our relations with the United States” given the “rising power” of the Niger Armed Forces, said Defense Minister Alkassoum Indatou, who received the equipment in Niamey.

The equipment will be used for a German-funded special forces training center in Tillia, in the western region of Tahoua, where jihadist groups affiliated with the Islamic State group and al-Qaeda are active. The equipment will also be used to train Nigerien soldiers serving with the United Nations mission in Mali, which also faces jihadist violence.

Niger and the United States have since 2015 a military cooperation agreement on “security and good governance” under which the two countries undertake “to work together in the fight against terrorism”. Under the deal, the U.S. military must also “train the Nigerien military in the fight against terrorism,” according to the agreement. In recent years, the US government has increased its military presence in Niger, allowing it to build a large drone base in Agadez, near Libya, at an estimated cost of around $100 million.

On October 4, 2017, four American soldiers and five Nigerien soldiers were killed in an ambush by the Islamic State group in Tongo Tongo, a village in the Tillaberi region in the “three borders” zone, which borders Niger, the Mali and Burkina. Faso.

In 2017, around 800 US troops – mostly special forces – were deployed against jihadist groups.

The United States has since provided Niger with armored vehicles, military surveillance and transport aircraft, and a military communications and communications center to help it fight the jihadists. Earlier in March, the United States government offered used construction equipment it deemed expensive to send back to the United States in Niger. The transfer of vehicles and equipment between the United States and Niger has been a two-year coordination process, and vital to assist Niger’s armed forces in countering violent extremism and defending against transnational threats. while easing storage limitations for Airmen in Africa, the Air Force said.

Similarly, in August 2020, the United States Department of Defense donated ten Mercedes Atego 4×4 troop transport trucks to the Niger Armed Forces. It also provided a logistics warehouse as part of the grant. The donation, which was handed over on May 27, will be used as part of the G5 Sahel Joint Force, in the fight against terrorism in the region.

Twenty-two Osprea Mamba Mk 7 armored vehicles valued at $8 million, were handed over to the Nigerien military by the United States as part of its efforts to support their fight against terrorism, transnational organized crime and trafficking in the Sahel. The vehicles which include 15 Osprea Logistics Mamba Mk 7 armored personnel carriers, four Mamba Mk 7 armored command vehicles and three Mamba Mk 7 armored ambulances. Two Toyota Land Cruiser ambulances and four sets of armored vehicle mechanic tools were also handed over on August 5.

In the same vein, on December 5, 2019, the United States delivered 13 Mamba armored personnel carriers and other equipment to the Niger army. This transfer is part of a $21 million donation, including 13 Mamba armored personnel carriers (Mamba-7 supplied by Osprea Logistics), 86 radio systems and four Armory Containers, the first batch of which was handed over on 6 June in Niamey, which included transportation. , fuel and water trucks; GPS navigation systems, fuel containers, military tents and individual soldier equipment.

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