The military regime that emerged from the July coup in Niger announced on Thursday the cancellation of nearly a thousand diplomatic passports issued to Nigerians and foreign workers of the ousted government, the country’s official news agency ANI reported.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed of these cancellations in a letter to foreign diplomatic missions in Niger, the agency explained. The letter is doing the rounds on social networking sites.

More than 990 diplomatic passports held by former officials, ministers, MPs, advisers and special advisers of the presidency of the Republic, the parliament and the services of the prime minister were cancelled, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

About 50 of these were given to foreign personalities, including from France, Britain, Libya, the US, Turkey and West African states.

At the end of August, the military regime announced the cancellation of the diplomatic passports of five officials of the ousted government who are abroad, including those of Prime Minister Uhumudu Maamadu, the head of diplomacy Asoumi Masoudu and Niger’s ambassador to France Aissatou Boulama.

Army officers overthrew president-elect Mohamed Bazum on July 26, who has remained under house arrest at his official residence ever since.