A page is turning for the French army, ten years after its installation in the country.
A first land convoy, of trucks carrying vehicles and equipment, left on Tuesday October 10 from the Ouallam base, in the far west, escorted by Nigerien forces, towards N’Djamena, in Chad, where the command is headquartered. French Forces in the Sahel. In the evening, in a press release read on national television, the junta also announced the departure of “three special flights” from Niamey, three planes loading equipment and “97 special forces elements”.
This is how the announcement made on September 24 by Emmanuel Macron came to fruition, after two months of pressure from the new regime, even though France does not recognize its legitimacy. The 1,400 soldiers are to have left the country by the end of the year. “Good riddance…”, headlined the Tamtaminfo site last week. France has been carrying out its anti-terrorist operations in the region from Niger for ten years.
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However, French soldiers are not intended to stay in Chad. Military cooperation there is old and solid. The French already there are acting in support of President Déby against the rebels, a proximity to power that part of the public rightly criticizes them for. A press release circulating on social networks denounces the interference of France and opposes the “relocation of its chased soldiers” of Niger. In recent months there have been several clashes and demonstrations against the French presence. At the moment this is not an official option. But if hostility increases, Paris could choose an early withdrawal rather than having to do so under duress, as in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
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For its part, Niger finds itself increasingly isolated. Algeria, which had offered itself as mediator, ended up throwing in the towel; the United States which officially qualified as “Rebellion” the takeover of General Tiani suspended their aid, around 500 million dollars, for lack of prospects for the reestablishment of a civil and democratic regime. Finally on Wednesday October 11, the junta gave the UN coordinator three days to leave the country, denouncing the “hindrances” to its international recognition. In September the Nigerien Minister of Foreign Affairs was deprived of speaking at the United Nations General Assembly. So many events which testify to the inability of the international community to make the military bend, who have not given in on anything since they came to power.