Niger’s new government has terminated military collaboration with its old colonial power France, according to a junta spokesman.
France has about 1,000 soldiers stationed in the Western African country to combat Islamist groups in the Sahel zone, which runs across the continent.
Earlier, the French Foreign Ministry announced that France 24 and RFI had been suspended in Niger.
The military authorities, who took control in a coup on July 26, also announced the withdrawal of their ambassadors to France, the United States, Togo, and Nigeria.
Officers from Niger’s presidential guard seized democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum and declared him deposed.
General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the head of the elite battalion, then declared himself the new monarch.
Shortly after Tchiani came to power, his camp suspended the constitution and dissolved all constitutional institutions.
France already had to withdraw troops after the military coups in the neighbouring countries of Mali and Burkina Faso.
Niger was considered the last ally of the West in the region, and there are concerns that the country will now pivot towards Russia.
France has been involved in the fight against insurgents in the region for years with its military missions.
