Nigeria, Niger agree to rebuild frayed security ties

Nigeria's military on Thursday said that it and Niger's military junta had pledged to resume and strengthen security collaboration, despite extremely tense ties in the aftermath of last year's coup in Niger. 

The top military commanders of the two countries had held talks in Niger's capital Niamey the previous day. 

"Both parties reaffirmed their commitment to resuming and strenghtening collaboration, with a view to ensuring regional stability and security," a Nigerian military statement said. 

Why Nigeria and Niger fell out

This time last year, the neighboring governments were openly threatening or at least warning of military confrontation. 

Bilateral ties had been positive overall since the two countries' independence.

But they soured last July when the head of Niger's presidential guard, Abdourahmane Tchiani, led a coup against the man he was charged to protect, elected President Mohamed Bazoum. 

Niger's junta then proceeded to start expelling Western forces from the country and turned to Russia for support. 

West African regional bloc ECOWAS was at the time under the leadership of Nigeria's government.

Having already seen similar Russian-assisted coups in Niger's neighbors Mali and Burkina Faso, ECOWAS tried to pressure Niger into restoring civilian government. ECOWAS sanctions led to Nigeria closing its borders to Niger, but they reopened earlier this year.

Nigeria even warned of possible ECOWAS military intervention, and ultimately Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali all left the bloc entirely in January — having been suspended from it temporarily and having set up a "defensive alliance" of their own, the Alliance of Sahel States. 

Niger to do more in task force fighting Boko Haram in border areas? 

Despite these tensions, Niger did not withdraw its soldiers from a Nigerian-led task force fighting the Boko Haram Islamist group in the countries' shared border areas. 

However, Niamey did reduce its military participation in the task force's operations to a minimum. 

According to the Nigerian statement on Thursday, Niger "reaffirmed its readiness to resume active participation in security cooperation under the Multinational Joint Task Force." 

The military government in Niger — as in Mali and Burkina Faso — claimed to have seized political power to better combat Islamist insurgencies by various groups, blaming the elected governments for military failures in the field.

But they have struggled to make headway themselves since.

The junta in Niamey expelled troops and other security assistance from former colonial power France, and later the US as well. So operational capabilites in the region are significantly reduced. 

msh/nm (AFP, Reuters)