Gyude Moore, a policy fellow at the Washington-based Centre for Global Development and a former -minister in Liberia, said the China-Niger oil deal "is not a departure from Chinese practice".

China’s first ever defence attaché to Niger, Colonel-Major Chen Xuming, was welcomed earlier this month at a reception held at the Chinese embassy in the capital Niamey. In front of Chinese ...

The withdrawal of U.S. and French military forces from Niger presents a unique opportunity for China to expand its military influence in the region.