France begins withdrawal of troops from Niger

The French army, Tuesday, said it had begun withdrawing its troops from Niger Republic after being ordered out of the country by coup leaders that toppled Niger’s democratically elected president.

The withdrawal kick-starts a complex and sensitive process that France expects to be completed by the end of the year, drawing the curtain on another French anti-jihadist operation in Africa.

“The first troops have left,” the spokesman of the French chief of staff said, confirming an announcement on Monday by Niger’s military leadership, which said that the 1,400-strong French contingent would begin leaving Tuesday.

According to a French defence source, the first group of soldiers that were considered a priority for evacuation for health or humanitarian reasons flew out of Niger on Monday.

Niger had spoken of convoys of troops being escorted out of the country overland by the Nigerien army, without saying where they would go.

READ ALSO: Let’s avoid war between brothers, El-Rufai cautions ECOWAS against military action in Niger Republic

The withdrawal was expected to cause logistical headaches for the French, with few safe routes out of a region plagued by different jihadist groups.

Around 1,000 French troops were stationed in the capital Niamey, with another 400 deployed at two forward bases in the north-west, near the borders with Mali and Burkina Faso, a hotbed of insurgent activity.

The withdrawal from Niger is the fourth time in under two years that French troops have been sent packing by a former African colony, dealing a severe blow to France’s influence on the continent and to its prestige on the international stage.

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