French President To Withdraw Ambassador And Troops From Niger

Following the July coup that deposed democratically-elected President Mohamed Bazoum, French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that his country will remove its ambassador and military from Niger Republic.

France has 1,500 troops stationed in Niger and had resisted the new military rulers’ request that its ambassador withdraw.

France was also ordered to withdraw its soldiers from its former colonies of Mali and Burkina Faso.

Thousands of people have demonstrated in Niamey, the city, in recent weeks, notably outside a military base housing French soldiers.

The new rulers demanded the departure of the French ambassador and military after Macron refused to recognize the coup.

The French President said on Sunday, September 24, that he will order the immediate departure of France’s troops and ambassador to Niger.

“France has decided to withdraw its ambassador. In the next hours our ambassador and several diplomats will return to France,” Macron said in a televised interview on Sunday.

He went on to say that military cooperation was “over” and that French forces would leave in “the months and weeks to come,” with a full withdrawal “by the end of the year.”

Macron said he told the ousted Bazoum on Sunday that “France has decided to bring back its ambassador, and in the coming hours our ambassador and several diplomats will return to France.”

Macron also underlined France’s opinion that Bazoum was being held “hostage” and that he remains the country’s “sole legitimate authority.”

“He was targeted by this coup d’etat because he was carrying out courageous reforms and because there was a largely ethnic settling of scores and a lot of political cowardice,” he said.

Following the July coup, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) imposed sanctions, threatening to intervene militarily as a last resort if diplomatic efforts to restore Bazoum to power failed. However, ECOWAS’ rhetoric came to a halt as regional countries backed the new military leadership.