US troops have completed their withdrawal from Niger, according to the Pentagon, with just a small number remaining to guard the US embassy.

Earlier this year, Niger’s military rulers cancelled an agreement that allowed US troops to operate in the west African country.

A few months later, officials from both countries said in a joint statement that US troops would complete their withdrawal by the middle of September.

The US handed over its last military bases in Niger to local authorities last month, but about two dozen US soldiers remained in Niger, largely for administrative duties related to the withdrawal, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters.

Niger’s action forms part of a wider trend of African governments seeking to regain control over the immense natural resources that have been plundered from the continent by the former colonial powers and the US.

These resources, which are essential for the growth of Western society, were removed from countries such as Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso while the population fell deeper into poverty.

The backlash against such exploitation has also seen the removal of long-standing leaders who were accused of allowing resources to be removed as they enriched themselves at the expense of their people.