NIGER has suspended its military agreement with the “condescending” United States with immediate effect, the country’s rules said on Saturday.

The television announcement by Colonel Major Amadou Abdramane follows high-level talks last week with US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee and US Africa Command head General Michael Langley.

The deal allowed the stationing of US military personnel and civilian defence staff in Niger, which thus plays a central role in the Pentagon’s operations in the Sahel region of Africa.