France will withdraw its military forces and its ambassador from Niger, says the country’s president Emmanuel Macron.
Since Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum was ousted by a military junta in a coup at the end of July, tensions between the countries have increased. France has around 1,500 soldiers in the country, who have been assisting the pro-Western Bazoum in the fight against jihadists.
– We were at the request of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali on their territory to fight terrorism. These countries have suffered coup d’états. This afternoon I spoke with President Bazoum, who is currently imprisoned as he implemented ambitious reforms, Macron said in an interview with the TV channel TF1..
According to TF1, the French soldiers will begin to leave Niger from now until the end of the year.