The United States has suspended several aid programs to the government of Niger, the State Department announced Tuesday.
"The United States has concluded that a military coup d'etat has taken place in Niger [...] the United States is suspending most U.S. assistance to the government of Niger," the State Department said in a statement.
According to Western media, US military aid to Niger, which is battling a jihadist insurgency, will also be halted.
"In addition, the US won't resume counterterrorism work with Niger and has suspended work to improve Niger's armed forces, a US official told reporters on condition of anonymity," media reported.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement that the US is suspending about $500 million in foreign aid and assistance under the Millennium Challenge Corporation – a US government foreign aid agency separate from the State Department and USAID.
Previously, in August, the US had suspended some aid programs to the Nigerian government.
"On August 5, the United States temporarily paused certain foreign assistance programs to the government of Niger, totaling nearly $200 million," the State Department informed.
In recent years, insecurity in the Sahel region has increased due to radical Islamic terrorist activity. According to estimates, the region experienced the largest increase in violent extremist activity of any region in Africa between 2017 and 2020.
According to the Pentagon, the US has about 1,100 military personnel in the West African country, according to media reports.
On July 26, the military overthrew the Niger's then-president Mohamed Bazoum. General Abdourahamane Tchiani was declared the new leader, who promised to transfer power to civilians over the next three years. The new authorities closed the country's borders and imposed a nationwide curfew, which was later lifted in August.
While ECOWAS sanctioned Niger and threatened military intervention in order to restore civilian authorities, the military governments in Mali and Burkina Faso expressed their solidarity with their Nigerian counterparts. In September, the three countries formed the military Alliance of Sahel States.