The ​US government has approved up to $414m (€360m) in financing for a major uranium project in Niger, more than three years after a military junta took control in a coup and blocked access to some uranium assets.

The US Development Finance Corp (DFC) approved the debt facility for Canadian miner Global Atomic’s Dasa project, which the company describes as the highest-grade uranium ​deposit in Africa.

The financing will be seen as a victory for Washington, whose relations with Niger deteriorated after the military government ​that seized power in a July 2023 coup ordered US forces to leave in 2024. The country has since strengthened security ties with Russia.