Niger breaks off military cooperation with US, as junta moves closer to Russia
- The declaration came just a day after a senior US delegation left the country, following a 3-day visit to renew contact with the junta that ousted the president
- The United States currently stations some 1,000 troops in Niger at a desert drone base built at a cost of US$100 million
Niger’s government announced on Saturday that it was breaking off “with immediate effect” its military cooperation agreement with the United States.
The declaration came just a day after a senior US delegation left Niger, following a three-day visit to renew contact with the military junta that ousted the president and moved closer to Russia.
The statement said the government had decided to “denounce with immediate effect” the agreement relating to US military and civilian employees of the US Department of Defence inside Niger.
It was read out Saturday evening on national television.
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Washington was aware of the statement, and that it came after “frank discussions ... about our concerns” with the junta’s “trajectory”.
Miller said on X that the US was still in touch with the junta and would provide updates “as warranted”.
