Since the July 2023 coup, Niger's military regime has accused Nigeria of supporting foreign forces in a bid to destabilise it, which Abuja denies.
Niger has withdrawn from the military coalition fighting Islamist insurgency groups in the Lake Chad region of west-central Africa, saying it will focus instead on protecting its oil operations from jihadist attacks.
The announcement comes amid rising tensions between the four countries bordering Lake Chad since a 2023 coup by Niger's military.
The operation under the Multinational Joint Task Force, active since 2015, would now be called "Nalewa Dole" following Niger's withdrawal, the army said in a bulletin read on state TV on Saturday.
The move "reflects a stated intent to reinforce security for oil sites", the bulletin stated, without further elaboration.
The four countries that surround Lake Chad -- Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria -- have been battling insurgencies since 2009, after a spate of violent campaigns by the Boko Haram group in Nigeria's northeast spilled into its neighbours.
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