Niger: French troops start withdrawal

As the United States announced the withdrawal of its aid to Niger, numerous French troops started to withdraw from the West African country, reports AFP, October 10. 

The first French soldiers left the country in an overland convoy on October 10 and it is believed that they have relocated to Chad, east of Niger. President Emmanuel Macron announced the news in late September. 

Multiple demonstrations in the capital, Niamey have called for the withdrawal of French military personnel. 

In a protest in mid-September, anti-French activist, Yahya Garba told reporters, “Enough is enough. All Macron has to do is take his macronis (the French President’s supporters and allies) and his clicks and clacs and go back to their so-called country, France.”   

Around 1,500 of France’s troops are based in Niger, a former French colony, to aid the authorities combat jihadists groups linked to Daesh and Al-Qaeda as the Sahel region has been a washed with extremist groups for around a decade. 

AFP

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