The European union (EU) has suspended all security cooperation with Niger after the army took power in a coup.
EU Foreign Policy Chief, Josep Borrell joined the US and France to refuse to recognise the coup leaders and said security cooperation and budgetary aid was being suspended indefinitely.
This is coming after the US declared its “unflagging support” for ousted President Mohamed Bazoum – seen as a key Western ally in the fight against Islamist militants.
The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken on Friday had warned those detaining him that “hundreds of millions of dollars of assistance” was at risk.
The African Union has also called on the Niger army to return to base within 15 days.
On Friday the head of the presidential guards unit General Abdourahmane Tchiani declared himself Niger’s new leader.
He said insecurity, economic woes and corruption led him to seize power.
Reports say there are now concerns in the West about which countries the new leader will align with.
Niger’s neighbours, Burkina Faso and Mali, have both pivoted towards Russia since their own coups.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu and Chairman of the Authority of the Heads of State and Government of the West African States (ECOWAS) has convened an Extraordinary Summit of the Authority on the political situation in the Republic of Niger.
