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Africa Live: Nigeria soldiers face trial for deadly air strike 'mistake' - BBC News Africa Live: Nigeria soldiers face trial for deadly air strike 'mistake' - BBC News
(32 minutes later)
Residents near 178 bodies of water have been told to leave as flooding is set to worsen.
Russian forces have entered an air base in Niger where US
troops still remain following the Nigerien junta’s decision to expel them from
the country.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd
Austin confirmed that Russian military personnel had entered an air base but
were in a separate compound.
He told a news conference in the
US that it was not a significant issue as they did not have access to US
personnel or equipment.
“Airbase 101 where our forces
[are], is a Nigerien air force base that is co-located with an international
airport in the capital city. The Russians are in a separate compound and don’t
have access to US forces or access to our equipment,” he said.
A
senior US defence official had earlier told the Reuters news agency that the
situation was “not great but in the short-term manageable”.
US and Russia's military and diplomatic relationships have been frosty since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Before
the Niger coup last year, the US had been the country's key partner alongside
other allies in the fight against Islamist insurgents in the region.
Niger is in
Africa's Sahel region, which is considered the new global epicentre of the
Islamic State group.
After
the coup, Nigerien
military leaders have sought closer ties with Russia, after souring relations
with Western countries, including France.
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