The European Union (EU) has suspended all security cooperation with Niger after the country's army took power in a coup. It comes shortly after the US declared its unflagging support for ousted president Mohamed Bazoum – seen as a key Western ally in the fight against Islamist militants. On Friday, the head of the presidential guards unit Gen Abdourahmane Tchiani declared himself Niger's new leader. He said insecurity, economic woes and corruption led him to seize the power. But there are now concerns in the West about which countries the new leader will align with. Niger's neighbours, Burkina Faso and Mali, have both pivoted towards Russia since their own coups.

EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell joined the US and France in refusing to recognise the coup leaders and said security cooperation and budgetary aid was being suspended indefinitely. The former colonial power France yesterday said, it had suspended all development aid and budgetary support. Meanwhile, the African Union called on the Niger army to return to base within 15 days.

On Friday evening US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned those detaining Mr. Bazoum – Niger's first elected leader to succeed another since independence in 1960. He added that assistance of hundreds of millions of dollars was at risk.