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After a decade of military intervention in the region, France will no longer have a presence in Niger. The 1,500 soldiers still present in the country will have left by the end of the year, according to Emmanuel Macron’s announcement.
There is excitement in front of a military base housing French soldiers in Niamey (Niger). In the evening of Sunday September 24, France announced the withdrawal of its soldiers in the country, a decision welcomed by a few hundred demonstrators. “It’s a victory (…) but we remain vigilant”says a man. After the departure of French forces from Mali and Burkina Faso, a page is turning in the anti-jihadist fight in the Sahel.
A departure requested for several weeks
Despite this, the demonstrators say they do not fear a deterioration in security in their country. On Monday, calm returned to the Nigerien capital. The withdrawal of French soldiers should take place by the end of the year, according to Emmanuel Macron. The departure of the soldiers, like that of the French ambassador in the country, were two demands of the military in power for several weeks.