Niger’s military has worked closely with the United States in the past (representative)
Niger:
The Niger government announced on Saturday that it would “immediately” terminate its military cooperation agreement with the United States.
The statement 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 moved closer 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 an effort to support President Mohamed Bazoum, a staunch ally in Western security efforts to combat jihadists.
Just 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.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
