Marines to stay at US Embassy in Niger amid evacuations

Marines guarding the U.S. Embassy in Niger will stay amid a partial evacuation of nonemergency embassy personnel following the military takeover of that country’s government last week, the State Department confirmed Thursday. 

The State Department late Wednesday said all nonessential U.S. government personnel and eligible family members were ordered to depart from the embassy in the capital city of Niamey. 

But the embassy’s Marine Security Guard detachment “will remain there working with the Diplomatic Security Service to assist with embassy security duties,” as the building will stay open for limited emergency services for U.S. citizens, a department spokesperson told The Hill.  

The Pentagon, meanwhile, said earlier Thursday that there are “no changes” to military force posture in the West African country, where military leaders supporting Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani last week took over the democratically elected government and arrested Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum, declaring Tchiani head of state.  

“The Department of State has not requested [Department of Defense] personnel or equipment as part of the ordered departure,” press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement. “We continue to monitor this fluid and evolving situation and reiterate our focus on a diplomatic solution.” 

An estimated 1,100 U.S. troops are involved in training, counterterrorism, surveillance and intelligence gathering with Nigerian forces. Washington also maintains two drone bases in the country — including one built for $110 million in 2019 — where hundreds of American special forces are meant to keep terrorist groups such as the Islamic State’s Africa offshoot and Boko Haram from growing.   

But the United States earlier this week suspended its counterterrorism training with Nigerian troops in light of the government upheaval, which appears to be a coup, even as Ryder said there were no immediate plans to pull U.S. troops from the country.  

The Biden administration has held back on calling the takeover a “coup,” as it maintains around $200 million of humanitarian and economic support in the country. The support would be jeopardized by a declaration of a coup.

However, the European Union and countries including France, Germany and Italy suspended their assistance to the Nigerian government and encouraged citizens to take evacuation flights out of Niger.  

The Marine Corps typically assists in evacuating U.S. civilians from embassies and foreign countries. The last such incident was in April in Sudan, where a detachment of Marines helped the remaining personnel from the Sudanese Embassy be airlifted to Ethiopia.