- France will withdraw its 1,500 troops from the country by the end of the year.
- After the democratically elected president of the African nation was overthrown in July, food prices rose by 60%.
- To ensure orderly operations, the evacuation of the troops will be coordinated with junta officials.
Following the military coup that took place in Niger earlier this year, France will withdraw its 1,500 troops from the country by the end of the year.
After the democratically elected president of the African nation was overthrown in July, food prices rose by 60%, and 10-hour electrical outages were brought on by the subsequent Western sanctions.
Troops from Niger
Following a coup that resulted in the departure of 1,500 troops, France has reduced its military presence in Niger, a former French territory. The decision was made at a time when tensions between France and Niger have increased and President Macron has said that ambassadors must survive on military rations.
The coup leaders in August gave the French ambassador Sylvain Ittee 48 hours to leave, but when that time had passed, they canceled his diplomatic immunity.
Macron has declared that France will stop military cooperation with the Niger authorities and return its ambassador and several other diplomats to France. He said that a request from the government of Niger at the time was the reason for France’s military involvement there.
The junta leaders asserted that France’s government was failing to take sufficient measures to save the nation from the uprising.
To ensure orderly operations, the evacuation of the troops will be coordinated with junta officials. If he is not reinstated, President Mohamed Bazoum has warned that there will be “devastating consequences” for the entire world. The Wagner Group may allow Russian influence to spread across the Middle Sahel region.
Following coups in neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso, French troops have recently been withdrawn from those countries. A senior scholar at the Policy Center for the New South Rida Lyammouri predicts that Niger will feel the loss of French assistance in its struggle against violent extremist groups.
