France Begins Troops Withdrawal From Niger

The French soldiers drove out of the country, as demanded by the Niger’s military rulers, who seized power in July in pick-up trucks and armoured personnel carriers through the dusty outskirts of Niamey on Tuesday.

The Niger’s military, in a statement read on state television, urged the citizens to cooperate with the troops of 1500 French soldiers as they make their ways out of the country. He said the troops would be leaving the country by road for Niger, which is hundreds of kilometres which could be insecure.

“The troops based in Ouallam have left their base today. These are the operations for the departure of the first ground convoy in the direction of Chad, escorted by our defence and security forces,” the military said.

In addition to the departure by land, “three special flights” have been registered at the airport in Niamey, two for the departure of “97 special forces elements” and one “dedicated to logistics”.

The French President, Emmanuel Macron confirmed the departure of the French troops after the Niger military rulers had demanded that the troops leaves its territory immediately after it seized power on July 26.

About 1,000 French troops were stationed in Niamey, with another 400 deployed at two forward bases in the northwest, near Mali and Burkina Faso, a region known for rebellious activities.

The Niger’s military rulers assured that the withdrawal would take place in “complete safety”, and remaining French forces would continue to leave on “a timetable agreed to by both parties”.

Meanwhile, the United States have just recognised the coup, with its formal declaration on Tuesday that Niger’s democratically-elected president, Mohammed Bazoum, was removed in a military coup, which will result in officially suspension of aids to Niger.

However, a U.S. official said there are no plans to change the U.S. troop present in Niger.

The decision, which limits what assistance Washington can provide to Niger, was made after it became clear the military government did not want to abide by constitutional guidelines to restore civilian and democratic rule, a senior official said.

“We’re taking this action because, over the last two months, we’ve exhausted all available avenues to preserve constitutional order in Niger,” a senior US official said, speaking to reporters.

US Department of Defense spokesperson Matthew Miller said that some $200m in foreign assistance temporarily paused to Niger in August had now been officially suspended.

Further Reading

• Russia Intervention: Putin Calls Mali Military Leader Over Niger Coup

• BREAKING: Sanusi Meets Niger Coup Leaders

“Any resumption of US assistance will require action… to usher in democratic governance in a quick and credible timeframe,” Miller said in a statement.

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