The relationship between the United States and Niger, which for years had been a key Western ally, had grown tense after military leaders seized power in a coup last year.
One of Niger’s coup leaders rejected a U.S. diplomat’s request to release the country’s democratically elected president and bring back constitutional order.
A recent military takeover in Niger has thrown into uncertainty the future of France’s presence in West and Central Africa, raising doubts about the future of U.S. military involvement there, too.