Niamey, Niger—

The Niger government announced on Saturday that it would “immediately” terminate its military cooperation agreement with the United States.

The announcement came a day after a high-level U.S. delegation left Niger on a three-day visit to renew contacts with the military junta that ousted the president and has been close to Russia.

The government decided to “immediately condemn” the agreement regarding U.S. military and civilian employees of the U.S. Department of Defense in Niger, the statement said.

The news was read out on state television on Saturday night.

The United States still has about 1,000 troops stationed at a desert drone base built in Niger at a cost of $100 million.

Movement there has been restricted since the July 2023 coup, and Washington has limited aid to the government.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a rare visit to Niger a year ago in hopes of bolstering President Mohamed Bazoum, a staunch Western security ally in the fight against jihadists.

Four months later, the military deposed Bazoum and placed him under house arrest.

The military junta has taken a tough stance against former colonial power France, forcing it to withdraw its troops for nearly a decade.

Niger’s military has worked closely with the United States in the past.

But the junta seeks to cooperate with Russia while preventing its neighbors Mali and Burkina Faso from fully embracing Moscow.