'All Our Armament is Russian,' Nigerien Foreign Minister Says
© AP Photo / Sam Mednick
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A coup took place in Niger on July 26. Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum was ousted and detained by his own guard, led by Gen. Abdourahmane Tiani. The National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland was established and a decree on the formation of a new transitional government was signed. After the coup, France withdrew its troops from Niger.
Niger uses Russian weapons, but the Russian military is not present on the country's soil, Nigerien Foreign Minister, Bakary Yaou Sangare, told Sputnik, adding that the Nigerien army is able to defend its territory on its own.
"Nowadays our relations with Russia are military cooperation, as all our weaponry is Russian. That is, we need to maintain relations with Russia to ensure this [weapons provision], but we do not have any [Russian] military on our land. We do not need it... Our army can defend its territory on its own," the minister said.
Niger forced the withdrawal of the French military with no intention of inviting other military personnel to the country, he said, adding that the country needs to develop relations in intelligence, arms and logistics, but not in the field of armed forces.
On December 22, the last French troops deployed in Niger left the country at the request of the Nigerien new leaders, who took power after a military coup in July. The new authorities, along with Burkina Faso and Mali, ceased security and military cooperation.
