Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz has released a bombshell investigative report titled “Unwelcome in Niger: An Interim Report by Congressman Matt Gaetz on the American Troop Crisis in Niger,” which details how U.S. Forces in Niger are in danger due to the State Department’s coverup of intelligence in the region.
The investigative report, written by Gaetz’s office, includes interviews with active-duty US service members stationed in Niger who have revealed that the Department of State suppressed intelligence reports on the conditions that American troops on the ground in Niger face, resulting in a crisis for our service members in that country.
A senior enlisted leader stationed at Niger’s Air Base 101 sent a letter to Rep. Gaetz’s office, prompting the investigation to begin.
Since the US-trained Nigerien coup leaders assumed control of the country in mid-2023, diplomatic overflights have ceased.
This has prevented the Department of Defense from carrying out planned force rotations, as well as delivering crucial medical supplies, equipment, and other regular materials.
Furthermore, American contractors and allies—Germany and Italy—have been barred from entering the country, and contracted support workers are fast fleeing when their visas (ineligible for renewal) expire, raising concerns about the continued operation of US outposts.
“Our troops are currently sitting on a powder keg caused by political indecision at the top of the Department of State and Department of Defense. With a military junta in charge—who detests our presence and considers us unserious and predatory—the situation seems to be setting the groundwork for catastrophic diplomatic collapse like we saw during the 2012 Benghazi attack. Additionally, these troops arealready running short on necessary, life-saving supplies, such as blood and medications. I have sent letters tothe Department of State, the Department of Defense, and the Intelligence Communitydemanding answers on their cover-up and any exculpatory documents in theirpossession. I have also written letters to the Embassies of Germany and Italy to inquire about any directives or decrees they have received from the Nigeriens regarding cooperation with U.S. forces in-country,” said Gaetz in his report.
Gaetz Rips Pentagon For Ignoring Mandate To Detail US Involvement In African Coups
In March, the Tampa Free Press reported that Gaetz was fuming because military leaders have ignored his request for information about U.S.-backed coups in Africa, in violation of a provision of the Pentagon’s massive spending bill.
The budget law includes language that supposedly forced the military to provide information about coups executed by America’s partners in Africa. The military had 90 days after the bill was passed in December.
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Lawmakers are supposed to be given the number of coups, any vetting process the U.S. used for its partners, and any actions the military has taken to boost their foreign trainees’ respect for civilian control of their military forces.
During a House Armed Services Committee hearing held March 21, just one day before the 90-day deadline, Gaetz asked Gen. Michael Langley, commander of U.S. Africa Command, about any report. “You’ll get your answer, Congressman,” Langley replied.
“Given the DoD has failed to meet the congressionally mandated deadline,” Gaetz wrote in a letter sent in March to Defense Department Secretary Lloyd Austin, “I am formally requesting the briefing or report on security cooperation with African military units who received DoD training and equipping, and subsequently overthrew their governments within the AFRICOM AOR” — or area of responsibility.
“It’s particularly egregious how the Department of Defense dodges a clear legal order to brief Congress about the coups led by African militaries after receiving U.S. military assistance within AFRICOM,” said Gaetz. “This blatant sidestepping of reporting requirements not only undermines legislative oversight but raises significant concerns about transparency and accountability within the DoD’s foreign military assistance program.”
At least 15 African military officers who received U.S. security assistance have been involved in a dozen coups across Africa. In some cases, multiple coups were staged in the same country, sometimes in the same year.
The affected nations include Burkina Faso, Chad, Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger.
During that committee hearing in March, Langley tried to assert the U.S. was not responsible.
“There’s no correlation or causation of U.S. training to a coup happening,” he told Gaetz at the time.
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