Great map of US military in the Sahara region. The US made a deal with Niger to establish drone bases only recently, in 2013. The first base in Niger was finished in 2013 and the second is opening as we speak in Agadez.
Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world so a deal with the US brings great benefits both in terms of income and also security and stability. Like its Saharan neighbors, Niger has the difficult spatial problem of protecting immense stretches of land, largely desert and semi-desert, from Islamic militants including AQIM (Al-Quaeda in the Mahgreb) who are largely composed of native tribes of the Sahara like the Tuareg. Niger has very few people relative to its vast size and a minimal government. In short, it needs all the assistance it can get.
Military footprints in the Sahara - Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/military-footprints-in-the-sahara/2014/09/01/2ffa5d2c-321b-11e4-9e92-0899b306bbea_graphic.html?hpid=z2
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