WEB DESK
Niger has suspended its military agreement with the United States “with immediate effect”. The decision, announced on Saturday, came after senior US officials – led by Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee and US Africa Command head General Michael Langley – visited the West African country earlier this week to discuss democratic transition.
Speaking on local television, Abdramane said the US delegation did not follow diplomatic protocol, and that Niger was not informed about the composition of the delegation, the date of its arrival or the agenda.
Niger is the centre of US operations in west and North Africa, notably at its Air Base 201, the most expensive construction project ever undertaken by the US government. Last October, Washington officially designated the military takeover as a coup. But in December, the top US envoy for Africa, Phee, said the US was willing to restore aid and security ties if Niger met certain conditions.
The suspension follows an earlier move that has seen thousands of French soldiers exit the West African nation.