NIAMEY (Reuters) – The withdrawal of French troops stationed in Niger will initially concern the 400 soldiers stationed in the southwestern town of Ouallam, the ruling junta said late on Thursday.
“The 400 French soldiers based in Ouallam will be the first to pack up. The Niamey air base where the majority of French soldiers are stationed will then be dismantled by the end of the year,” indicated the National Council for the Protection of the Fatherland (CNSP) in a press release.
The French Ministry of the Armed Forces announced on Thursday that the withdrawal of French troops stationed in Niger, announced by Emmanuel Macron on September 24, would begin this week.
Some 1,500 French soldiers are based in Niger, a former French colony, some of whom arrived following the French military withdrawal from Mali.
Niger’s junta said it would ensure that the departure was orderly, safe and “with respect for our interests and on our terms.” She called on citizens to be vigilant during this “transition period”.
(Reporting Abdel-Kader Mazou, written by Sofia Christensen; French version Kate Entringer, edited by Blandine Hénault)
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