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“We are not really surprised about the latest escalation because it follows a pattern of repression and hostility against the media generally, and in particular foreign media,” said Muheeb Saeed, manager of the freedom of expression program at the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA).

Control of the sprawling site, which can accommodate as many as 4,000 miners, has changed hands several times in recent years, as violent extremists associated with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group have fought civilians, government forces and each other for a share of the spoils.

“The US presence on the territory of the Republic of Niger is illegal and violates all the constitutional and democratic rules which would require the sovereign people… to be consulted on the installation of a foreign army on its territory,” Niger’s military spokesperson Col Amadou Abdramane said in a damning statement on national television.