The last French troops deployed to combat jihadism in the Sahel region have left Niger, five months after the ruling military junta demanded their departure. This is a contingent of about 1,500 soldiers and pilots who were part of an operation deployed 10 years ago in that former French colony. France also plans to close its embassy in the country for an indefinite period.
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It is the third time in a year and a half that France has been forced into a military withdrawal in African countries that were once part of its colonies, having also left Mali at the end of 2022 and Burkina Faso at the beginning of this year, in both cases equally. due to the demands of governments that took power through coups d'état.
However, there remain troops from the United States, Germany and Italy in the country, who were deployed to control the action of the jihadist insurgency that broke out in 2012 in Mali and spread to Burkina Faso and Niger.
The French departure, which completes a withdrawal that began in October, paves the way for the strengthening of Russia's position in the region, where it has gained notable influence in recent years.
In fact, the bases that the French left empty in Menaka, Gossi and Timbuktu (all in Mali), were quickly occupied by men from the Russian paramilitary group Wagner.
On September 24, following the July coup that overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum and fueled anti-French sentiment among the population, President Emmanuel Macron said his country would end its military presence in Niger and withdraw its ambassador.
In this way, Macron ordered the repatriation of the nearly 1,500 soldiers deployed in that Sahel nation in the last decade.
A complicated retirement
Until the July coup, Niger, a former French colony in West Africa, was considered a bastion of stability compared to its neighbors and France's main ally in the face of the jihadist threat in the Sahel.
The Sahel, a region that extends across North Africa as a transition area between the Sahara Desert and the Sudanese savanna, has been a central concern for Europe for a decade, especially due to the presence and action of jihadist groups. in the area known as “the three borders”: between Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
“Today's date (…) marks the end of the process of withdrawal of French forces in the Sahel,” said Nigerien army lieutenant Salim Ibrahim, during a ceremony in Niamey, the country's capital, organized to celebrate the end of the French military presence.
Precisely, Niamey was the destination of most of the French contingent, which was mainly concentrated in an air base, while smaller groups of soldiers accompanied Nigerien soldiers in guarding the borders with Mali and Burkina Faso, where it is believed that factions affiliated with the jihadist organizations Islamic State and Al Qaeda operate.
Leaving Niger is not an easy task for French troops, who must make a long journey of 1,700 kilometers along dangerous desert routes, to the operations center for the Sahel that the country maintains in neighboring Chad. In October, that journey to N'Djamena took 10 days.
From there, some troops leave by air with some of the most sensitive equipment, but the majority must return either by land or by sea.
The heavier equipment, which cannot be carried on planes, will be transported in containers to Douala, Cameroon, to be sent by ferry to France, according to military sources who shared information with the AFP agency.
Remaining contingents
About 1,000 American soldiers still remain in Niger, along with about 120 Germans, although the former are no longer assisting or training local soldiers.
Washington announced in early December that it was interested in continuing military cooperation with Niger, on condition that it advance a rapid transition to civilian rule, but the ruling junta has said it will take at least three years to meet that demand. .
As for the Germans, Foreign Minister Boris Pistorius visited Niger earlier this week to discuss the fate of the 120 men he keeps in that country.
The military junta in power announced in early December the breaking of military cooperation agreements with the European Union.
Upcoming embassy closure
This Friday, December 22, it was also learned that France plans to close its embassy in Niger due to the impossibility of “functioning normally” and “carrying out its missions.”
Data from French diplomatic documents and sources disclosed by Efe and Reuters suggest that France is planning to close its embassy in Niger for an indefinite period.
Most of the diplomatic staff left at the end of September, while local workers “will be fired and compensated,” they added.
The embassy suffered an attack on July 30, during an anti-French protest that took place four days after the coup against Mohamed Bazoum.
With AFP, EFE and Reuters
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