Mohamed Bazoum

Niger's government announced on Saturday that it was breaking off "with immediate effect" its military cooperation agreement with the United States.

The declaration came just a day after a senior U.S. delegation left Niger, following a three-day visit to renew contact with the military junta that ousted the president and moved closer to Russia.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday opens a week-long tour of Africa's west coast as he seeks to bolster U.S.-friendly democracies with security deteriorating in the Sahel.

Algeria has offered the military that seized power in Niger a "six-month transitional plan" to restore constitutional and democratic order, instead of the three years they proposed, the country's head of diplomacy said, quoted by "AFP".

France's ambassador to Niger will remain in the country despite pressure to leave by the leaders of the recent coup, President Emmanuel Macron told diplomats on Monday, Reuters reported.

Macron also reiterated France's support for ousted Niger president Mohamed Bazoum, whose decision not to resign Macron called brave.

Niger's military junta has asked the French ambassador to depart from the country. The move further escalates the international crisis in the West African nation after a coup that deposed the democratically elected president, Al Jazeera reported.

A delegation from the West African bloc - ECOWAS - has arrived in Niger to seek a peaceful, not military, solution after senior army officers seized power in a coup.

The delegation, led by former Nigerian president Abdulsalami Abubakar, arrived in the capital a day after ECOWAS military leaders announced they were ready to intervene to restore the ousted president, AFP reported.

The military regime in Niger has expressed readiness to resolve the crisis in the country through diplomatic channels. This is clear from a statement by the Nigerien religious mission. The leader of the regime, General Abdulrahman Chiani, said that "his door is open to explore the possibility of solving the crisis diplomatically and peacefully", BTA reported.

Thousands of Niger coup supporters took to the streets on Friday to protest against plans by West African nations to deploy a military force to the country, as a key regional meeting on a possible intervention was scrapped.

Coup leaders in Niger have accused French forces of violating the prohibition on using its airspace to 'destabilize' the West African nation, as France promptly rejected the allegations, an Al Jazeera report said.

New sanctions were imposed on Niger by neighboring Nigeria hours after a diplomatic delegation of African countries and the United Nations was sent away without meeting the junta that seized power in late July.