The European Union said on Saturday it had recalled its envoy from Niger because the ruling junta had questioned the way the bloc delivered aid to the West African country.

Niger’s junta issued a statement on Friday accusing the EU ambassador in the West African country of dividing a 1.3 million euro fund to assist flood victims between several international NGOs in an non-transparent manner, and without collaborating with the authorities. It ordered an audit into the fund’s management as a result.

“The European Union expresses its profound disagreement with the allegations and justifications put forward by the transitional authorities,” the EEAS said in a statement. “Consequently, the EU has decided to recall its ambassador from Niamey for consultations in Brussels.”

Niger has been under military rule since the junta seized power in a coup in July 2023. Since taking power, the Sahel nation’s military rulers have turned their backs on former colonial ruler France and have grown increasingly frosty towards the European Union.