The U.S. military presence in Niger has been terminated.
The move comes after eight months of difficult negotiations between the Nigerien authorities and Washington over military cooperation between the two countries. The United States had opted for a more conciliatory approach towards the junta than that of Paris and the regional allies of the deposed president. But it is another breakdown in discussions in which it seems to have caused the breakdown in the discussions, writes Frida Ghitis, the author of a new book on Niger.