World
France to Withraw Ambassador, Troops From Niger 🇳🇪
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France to withdraw ambassador, troops from Niger 🇳🇪
By Mustapha Seleiman
French President Emmanuel Macron has said that his country will withdraw its ambassador and troops from Niger in the wake of the July coup that over- threw democratically-elected President Mohamed Bazoum.
“France has decided to withdraw its ambassador. In the next hours our am- bassador and several diplomats will re- turn to France,” Macron said in a tele- vised interview on Sunday.
He added that military cooperation was “over” and that 1,500 French troops sta- tioned in the country would withdraw in “the months and weeks to come” with a full pullout “by the end of the year”.
France’s exit comes after weeks of pres- sure from the military and popular demonstrations. Thousands of people have protested in recent weeks in the Niamey, including outside a mil- itary base housing French soldiers.
Niger’s new rulers, who had been de- manding France’s exit after Macron re- fused to recognise the July 26 coup, welcomed the French president’s announcement.
“This Sunday, we celebrate a new step towards the sovereignty of Niger,” they said in a statement read out on national television. “This is a historic moment, which speaks to the determination and will of the Nigerien people,” they added.
