The last French troops have withdrawn from Niger, concluding over a decade of anti-jihadist operations in the Sahel, amid strained relations and regional coups.
The last French troops withdrew from Niger on Friday, marking an end to more than a decade of French anti-jihadist operations in West Africa’s Sahel region, as reported by AFP and announced by Niger’s military.
The departure of French forces from Niger leaves hundreds of US military personnel, along with several Italian and German troops, remaining in the country.
France announced its decision to withdraw approximately 1,500 soldiers and pilots from Niger after the former French colony’s new ruling generals demanded their departure following a coup on July 26. This marked the third time in less than 18 months that French troops were expelled from a country in the Sahel, having been forced to leave former colonies Mali last year and Burkina Faso earlier this year following military takeovers in those countries as well.
All three nations are battling a jihadist insurgency that erupted in northern Mali in 2012 and later spread to Niger and Burkina Faso. However, a string of coups in the region since 2020 has led to strained relations with France and a shift toward greater rapprochement with Russia.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced in September the withdrawal of all French troops from Niger by the end of the year, with a first contingent leaving in October.
Read more
Troop Deployment and Withdrawal
Most French troops in Niger were stationed at an air base in the capital Niamey. Smaller groups were deployed alongside Nigerien soldiers to the border with Mali and Burkina Faso, where jihadist groups linked to the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda are believed to operate.
The withdrawal was a complex operation, with road convoys having to drive up to 1,700 kilometers (1,056.33 miles) on sometimes perilous desert routes to the French center for Sahel operations in neighboring Chad. The first French road convoy of troops withdrawing from Niger arrived in neighboring Chad’s capital N’Djamena in October after 10 days on the road.
From Chad, French troops can leave by air with their most sensitive equipment, although most of the rest has to be moved by land and sea. According to a source close to the matter, some French containers carrying equipment were to be driven from Chad to the port of Douala in Cameroon before being ferried back to France by sea.
US, German Troops
France’s former ally in Niger, overthrown president Mohamed Bazoum, remains under house arrest. In October, a US official mentioned that Washington was keeping about 1,000 military personnel in Niger, but was no longer actively training or assisting Niger forces. The United States stated earlier this month that it was ready to resume cooperation with Niger on the condition that its military regime committed to a rapid transition to civilian rule. Niger’s rulers want up to three years for a transition back to a civilian government. Military leaders in Niamey early this month said they were ending two European Union security and defense missions in the country.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius visited Niger earlier this week to discuss the fate of around 120 German troops based in the country. In September, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger formed a joint defense pact to fight jihadists. France’s withdrawal from Mali last year left a bitter aftertaste, as the bases it once occupied in Menaka, Gossi, and Timbuktu were rapidly taken over by Russia’s Wagner paramilitary group.
Miroslava Salazar, with AFP
