The Washington Post published an exclusive this morning about a major diplomatic break with the West African country of Niger. The US has had about 1,000 troops there working to counter Islamic extremism in the region but now they have been asked to leave. The country’s prime minister is blaming the break entirely on the US.
In an exclusive interview, Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine put the blame for the breakdown squarely on the United States, accusing American officials of trying to dictate which countries Niger could partner with and failing to justify the U.S. troop presence, now scheduled to end in the coming months. Niger has been central to efforts to contain a growing Islamist insurgency in West Africa.
The rift between the former allies has created an opportunity for Russia, which has moved quickly to deepen its relationship with Niger, dispatching troops to the…
