Niger says all French troops will have departed by Dec. 22

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) – The Nigerien army announced Tuesday that all French soldiers will have left Niger by Dec. 22.

In a statement, the military said 1,346 French personnel and 80% of their logistics equipment have so far been disengaged from the country.

“To date, only 157 French soldiers are left on our territory, including 75 logisticians,” said the statement, which was read on national television.

Niger hosted around 1,500 French troops as part of a regional counter-insurgency force.

But on Aug. 3, Niger’s military leaders announced the scrapping of military agreements with France, a decision that Paris initially rubbished, citing a lack of legitimacy.

This followed turmoil on July 26, when Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani, a former commander of the presidential guard, led a military intervention that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.

French President Emmanuel Macron in September announced a gradual pullout of the French troops deployed in Niger by the end of this year following weeks of regular protests against their presence in the West African country.