APA-Niamey (Niger) – On Wednesday, Niamey expressed doubts about the willingness of Paris to withdraw its troops from Niger.
The withdrawal of French troops from Niger will begin this week, the Ministry of the Armed Forces announced. According to RFI, the 400 or so soldiers stationed in Ouallam, on the border between Niger and Mali, will be the first to be affected by this operation and will leave on Thursday October 5th for the Niamey air base before returning to France by plane.
On Wednesday, October 4, the authorities in Niger expressed doubts about Paris’s intention to withdraw its forces from the country. Speaking to the press, Interior Minister General Mohamed Toumba said that the withdrawal plan presented by the French authorities did not suit them.
For Niamey, there is no question of the French military, estimated at 3,000 or even 3,500 by the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP), passing through Benin for security reasons. The Niger junta also demands that the French army planes not leave Niger at the same time as the soldiers.
The French Minister of the Army stated that “since coordination with the Nigerien armed forces is essential for the success of this maneuver, all measures have been taken to ensure that the movements take place in an orderly and safe manner.”
Since the coup against President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26, relations between Paris and Niamey have deteriorated considerably. Condemning the overthrow of an ally who had allowed them to deploy their military forces outside Mali, the French authorities, amid diplomatic tensions with Bamako, immediately suspended their aid programs to Niger.
In response, the CNSP denounced the military agreements between Niger and France and demanded the withdrawal of the French troops. Ambassador Sylvain Itté was subsequently ordered to leave the country. The Elysée refused, claiming that the Nigerien authorities behind the decision were not legitimate.
At the end of August, Emmanuel Macron told the ambassadors that he had asked the French diplomat in Niamey to stay. But on September 24, the French head of state announced the return of Ambassador Itté and the French troops, arguing that the Nigerien authorities had “de facto” stopped fighting terrorism.
AC/lb/abj/APA