Niger : Forced departure of French soldiers from Niamey, bitter taste for Paris
After Mali and Burkina Faso, French military forces have definitively left Niger. The divorce is now official, especially with the closure of the French embassy in Niamey on Thursday, December 21, as ordered by Paris. The approximately fifty French soldiers packed up on December 22, heading back to Paris.
This marks the end of a lengthy standoff between the Nigerien authorities and France, with the victory clearly belonging to Niger, a sovereign state that decides who enters its territory. With the departure of the 1.500 French soldiers deployed in Niger to assist in combating terrorism through military cooperation, France has lost its last ally in the Sahel.
The departure of French ambassador Sylvain Itté, the embassy closure, the withdrawal of French troops, the denunciation of several agreements—Nigerian authorities have effectively closed the chapter on decades of French dominance in Niger. Niamey has also terminated two military and civilian missions of the European Union (EU).
The forced departure of everything representing France in Niger will leave a bitter taste in Paris, especially as some powers remain in the country and strengthen their cooperation with Nigerien authorities, such as the United States, Germany, and now Russia, with which Niger is drawing closer.
A brighter future awaits the land of General Abdourahamane Tiani, and soon, the imminent end of terrorists as seen in Burkina Faso and Mali.
