President Emmanuel Macron announced on Sunday that France intends to withdraw its troops from Niger following a July coup in the West African nation.
This decision marks a significant setback for French influence and counter-insurgency efforts in the Sahel region.
Macron disclosed that approximately 1,500 troops will be pulled out by the end of the year, firmly asserting that France, the former colonial power in Niger, will not allow itself to be held hostage by the coup leaders.
This move by France, which comes after enduring weeks of pressure from the junta and widespread public demonstrations, is expected to heighten Western concerns regarding Russia’s expanding presence in Africa. The Russian mercenary group Wagner is already active in neighboring Mali.
Despite not recognizing the junta as Niger’s legitimate authority, President Macron stated that Paris would coordinate the withdrawal of its troops with the coup leaders.
“We will engage in consultations with the coup leaders to ensure an orderly process,” Macron remarked during an interview with France’s TF1 and France 2 television stations.
Additionally, Macron announced the recall of France’s ambassador, who is expected to return to the country in the coming hours.
In recent years, French influence over its former colonies in West Africa has dwindled, coinciding with a rise in popular discontent. French forces have been expelled from neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso due to coups in those nations, reducing France’s role in the broader regional fight against deadly Islamist insurgencies in West and Central Africa’s Sahel region.
Until the coup in Niger, the country had remained a crucial security partner for both France and the United States, serving as a base for combating Islamist insurgency across the wider Sahel region of West and Central Africa.