A vendor discusses an item for sale with a U.S. airman at the women’s bazaar at Base 201 in Agadez, Niger, on Dec. 2, 2023. American personnel made $11,350 worth of purchases at the event in support of area residents. (Rose Gudex/U.S. Air Force)
The counterterrorism drones are grounded but the camels aren’t at the U.S. Air Force’s remote base in Niger, where troops still get a taste of the local culture despite a July coup that has ruined their military mission.
On the southern edge of the Sahara Desert, U.S. service members mingled over the weekend with vendors from the town of Agadez, home to the military’s western Africa hub known as Base 201.
Traditional African clothing and artwork were among the items for sale at the women’s bazaar, which gave a group of female vendors from Agadez the chance to sell their homemade products to troops on base.
Saturday’s feel-good gathering, which included camel rides for the troops and raised $11,350 for the surrounding community, contrasts with the otherwise fraught conditions for the U.S. in Niger.
The coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum a few months ago also brought an end to cooperation with the Nigerien military, which was a linchpin to American counterterrorism strategy in the region. The circumstance also raises the question of how long the U.S. can afford to sit on a base that has no operational value.
U.S. Air Force members help set up the women’s bazaar Dec. 2, 2023, at Base 201 in Agadez, Niger. Service members interacted with vendors to learn more about their culture and make purchases in support of the local economy. (Rose Gudex/U.S. Air Force)
A U.S. service member browses handmade items Dec. 2, 2023, at the women’s bazaar at Base 201 in Agadez, Niger. The bazaar brought in $11,350 to support the local economy. (Rose Gudex/U.S. Air Force)
A woman sets up handmade items for sale Dec. 2, 2023, at Base 201 in Agadez, Niger. The bazaar highlighted local Nigerien women and afforded cultural opportunities to the U.S. personnel stationed at the base. (Rose Gudex/U.S. Air Force)
A U.S. airman rides a camel Dec. 2, 2023, during a women’s bazaar at Base 201 in Agadez, Niger. Area residents offered goods and services at the event to base personnel, whose patronage supported the local economy. (Rose Gudex/U.S. Air Force)
A U.S. service member purchases a painting from a local vendor Dec. 2, 2023, at the women’s bazaar at Base 201 in Agadez, Niger. The event drew 24 female vendors, who sold more than 750 items. (Rose Gudex/U.S. Air Force)
A women's bazaar vendor demonstrates how to wear traditional African clothing to U.S. service members at Base 201 in Agadez, Niger, on Dec. 2, 2023. The bazaar brought together American troops and Nigeriens from the Agadez area. (Rose Gudex/U.S. Air Force)
Since the coup, the U.S. has moved some personnel out of Niger while concentrating its remaining force at the base in Agadez.
For now, those troops are hunkered down because all collaboration with Niger on military missions has stopped, in accordance with U.S. rules that prohibit partnership with military juntas.
The situation amounts to a major blow for the Pentagon’s counterterrorism efforts in the region, where Islamic militants have been making steady gains in recent years.
In September, U.S. Air Forces Europe and Africa’s Gen. James Hecker said the military was looking for alternatives to Base 201, which the Defense Department spent more than $100 million to develop.
But he didn’t specify where else U.S. troops could go or how long the Air Force was willing to wait out things in Agadez.
U.S. officials have urged Niger’s military to restore the elected government to power, but there have been no indications that will happen anytime soon.
In the meantime, it’s camel rides for the troops.
