Niger Coup: Junta leaders suspend military ties with France; Say more such revocations in the offing

The Niger junta has finally revoked military ties with the French govt.

It has cancelled five military cooperation agreements with France amid a wave of anti-French sentiment.

France has between 1,000 and 1,500 troops in Niger, helping to fight Islamist insurgent groups.

A decision about the revocation of the military deals with France, dating between 1977 and 2020, was read out on national television late on Thursday by junta representative Amadou Abdramane.

Abdramane added that a diplomatic notice would be sent to France to that effect.

There was no immediate response from France.

Niger also suspended broadcasts of French state-funded international news outlets France 24 and RFI - drawing condemnation from the French foreign ministry.

The move is similar to post-coup crackdowns on French media by the juntas in Mali and Burkina Faso, who have also kicked out French troops, many of whom are stationed in Niger.

The coup against Bazoum was the seventh in the west and central Africa region since 2020.

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