NIAMEY: Niger’s military rulers have said the first batch of French troops will leave the country on Tuesday, Western media reported on Monday.
According to an official statement operation for the departure of the first convoy will begin tomorrow. The Niger security forces will escort the French troops.
Niger’s ruling military shortly after seizing power at the end of July demanded withdrawal of some 1,400 French troops.
Timetable for withdrawal of French troops finalized
The statement said after some meetings between Niger authorities and the French side, a timetable for the withdrawal of their troops has been finalized with mutual consent.
Nigerien and French security sources have said that there were several convoys between bases in the northwest of the country and in the capital Niamey.
At least two convoys have since been allowed to re-supply the Ouallam and Tabarey-Barey bases.
The French troops have been living in an uncertain situation since the military regime began demanding their exit, with irregular supplies of food and continuous anti-French demonstrations outside the Niamey base.
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Earlier Paris announced that French troops were set to begin their withdrawal from Niger following mounting tensions with the military junta in power since a coup in July. The decision comes after France’s ambassador to Niamey was recalled due to pressure from the junta.
President Emmanuel Macron had previously revealed plans to withdraw 1,400 French troops “by the end of the year.” These troops had been stationed in Niger as part of a broader effort to combat jihadist groups across the Sahel region, with approximately 400 stationed in the northwestern region near the borders of Burkina Faso and Mali, a known hotspot for the Islamic State group.
