The last French warplanes and troops left Niger on 22 December.
France finalised the withdrawal of its troops from Niger on Friday after the new junta asked them to leave the country, ending years of military support on the ground and raising analysts’ concerns about gaps in the fight against jihadist violence in Africa’s Sahel region
Nevertheless, the country will continue to be involved in the Sahel, but in a slightly different form.
We will continue to protect our interests over there, but our armies won’t be as present permanently, will be less stationary and also less exposed, President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday during a visit to a base in Jordan.
1,500 French troops have been training and supporting local militaries in Niger, which was seen as a base for counterterrorism operations in the region following rising anti-French sentiment in Mali and Burkina Faso.
Niger’s junta called the end of military co-operation with France the beginning of a “new era” for Nigerians.
“Niger stands tall, and the security of our homeland will no longer depend on a foreign presence,” it said on X. “We are determined to meet the challenges before us, by consolidating our national military and strategic capabilities.”
The impact of the French withdrawal is already being felt due to a lack of military capacity and will be felt in the Tillabéri region of western Niger, which is a hotspot of extremism in the country, according to Cummings.
