France Will Start Removing Its Troops From Niger This Week

The 1,500 French soldiers stationed in Niger, according to the Ministry of the Armed Forces of France, will begin leaving border regions this week. Following the termination of military collaboration with Niger’s ruling military junta, announced by French President Emmanuel Macron last month, the French facility in the country’s capital, Niamey, will be decommissioned by the end of the year.

According to a statement from the Armed Forces Ministry, “the withdrawal of troops and military equipment begins this week,” and it should be finished by the end of the year.

“Coordination with the Nigerien army is essential to the operation’s success. All measures have been taken to ensure that the movements proceed in good order and security.”

The military junta in charge of Niger since a coup on July 26 had requested that France withdraw.

Macron last month announced the suspension of military cooperation with Niger after bringing back France’s ambassador and declared he would not be “held hostage” by the junta.

400 soldiers who are now stationed in Ouallam and Ayorou, in the region of the country bordering Mali and Burkina Faso that has been seized by the Islamic State armed group, will be the first to depart.

Following their combined operation with Niger to secure the area, the French forces will return to Niamey. Due to the weak security on the road, the withdrawal will take a few days. The soldiers will then fly back to France right away.

Departing On Foot

The French air base in Niamey will take more planning to dismantle because it has aircraft hangars, hundreds of shipping containers filled with offices and command centers, as well as tanks, bulldozers, and other heavy machinery.

Since French planes are not allowed to operate in Niger’s airspace, material cannot be transported by air, and there are few other possibilities on the road. Although the Niger government has been reluctant to permit the troops to move around freely, equipment might be driven to the French facility in the neighboring Chad.

Since the withdrawal of French forces from Mali and Burkina Faso in 2013, the base in Niamey has served as a center for anti-terrorist operations in Mali and as the focal point of French regional operations.

The French military pullout from Niger exposes a gap in Western efforts to quell an Islamist insurgency that has lasted for ten years. Additionally, it deals a further setback to French influence in the Sahel and may open the door for Russia to increase its hold on the area.