The United States of America will not withdraw its 1,100 troops from Niger, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has said.
Speaking during his official visit to Kenya, Austin said the US has not made any significant changes, saying they are focused on seeing a diplomatic solution evolve in Niger.
"We want to see a peaceful end to the crisis and most importantly, we want to see a preservation of Niger's diplomatically elected government," he said.
Austin added that the US continues to evaluate the situation in the West African country.
His statement comes a day after French president Emmanuel Macron announced the withdrawal of its troops and ambassador from Niger following the July coup which saw President Mohamed Bazoum overthrown.
Macron said the French ambassador to Niger and several diplomats will return to France, saying the military cooperation was over.
"French troops would leave in the months to come," he said.
There are around 1,500 French soldiers in Niger.
However, Macron said that he still recognises Bazoum as the country's 'sole legitimate authority'.
"He was targeted by this coup d'etat because he was carrying out courageous reforms and because there was a largely ethnic settling of scores and a lot of political cowardice," he said.
With Macron's announcement, the Niger's Military through a statement said the country is undergoing a new step towards the sovereignty of the state.
"It is a historic moment which testifies to the determination and will of the Nigerien people," the military Junta said in a statement.
Further, the statement stated that any institution whose presence threatens the interest of the people of Niger will have to leave the soil, whether they like it or not.
"The indomitable and peaceful sovereign people of Niger recall the firm and non-negotiable principle of the departure of foreign force from the French Junta," part of the statement read.
"The new era of cooperation, based on mutual respect and sovereignty is already underway."
Even with the withdrawal of the troops, the Junta had announced a ban on French aircraft from flying over the country.
According to the BBC, the regional air safety organisation, ASECNA, said that Niger's airspace was 'open to all national and international commercial flights except for French aircraft or aircraft chartered by France including those of the airline Air France'
The air space would remain closed for "all military, operational and other special flights", unless receiving prior authorisation, the message said.
