NIAMEY, Niger — The U.S. military withdrew its 1,000 military personnel from Niger’s air base in Niamey on Sunday as it prepares to completely pull out of the base in August following a coup last year.

In April, Niger’s ruling junta ordered the U.S. to withdraw its nearly from the West African country’s Air Base 201, which following a coup last year in the West African nation. Niger’s ruling junta has given the U.S. Department of Defense until Sept. 15 to remove all of its troops from its territory.

Niger has replaced its long-standing defense agreements with the United States, Europe and the United Nations in favor of closer military ties with Russia to help battle an insurgency which has been blamed from widespread instability in Niger.

The next U.S. military withdrawal will be from a $100 million drone base near the city of Agadez in central Niger.

Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso also signed a confederation treaty on Saturday to help stem jihadist insurgency in their countries.

More on the U.S. withdrawal from Niger military bases.