The UK government temporarily withdrew staff from its embassy in Niger after the military coup in the West African country for security reasons, the UK Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.
"We have temporarily withdrawn our UK staff from Niger and our embassy is operating remotely," the ministry said.
A coup took place in Niger on July 26. President Mohamed Bazoum was ousted and detained by his own guard, led by Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani. Following the coup, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) suspended all financial aid to Niger, froze rebels' assets and imposed a ban on commercial flights to and from the country.
In early August, during a summit in the Nigerian capital of Abuja, ECOWAS leaders agreed to activate a standby force to potentially compel the Nigerien military to reinstate Bazoum.
On Friday, ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs Abdel-Fatau Musah said that ECOWAS general staff chiefs had agreed on a date for the beginning of military intervention, but would not make it public.
In response to this decision, the coup leaders have deployed troops near the country's borders with Nigeria and Benin to repel potential military intervention. Earlier, Niger signaled its readiness to fight back any foreign interference.