Niger Withdraws From Military Cooperation Pact With EU 4 Months After Coup

Move is announced on same day that high-level Russian delegation visits Niamey for talks with country’s new leadership.

Supporters of Niger's National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP) wave Russian flags as they demonstrate in Niamey, Niger, on Aug. 6, 2023. AFP via Getty Images

Niger this week announced its withdrawal from a military cooperation agreement with the European Union, and the landlocked West African country also revoked its permission for the deployment of an EU mission in Niamey, Niger’s capital.

Niger’s Foreign Ministry said in a Dec. 4 statement that it had revoked all “privileges and immunities” granted under the EU Military Partnership Mission, which began in February.