It was through a press release of less than ten lines that the Ministry of the Armed Forces announced, Thursday October 5, that it would formally begin preparations for the withdrawal of some 1,500 French soldiers immobilized in Niger since the coup d’état which overthrew it on October 26. July, President Mohamed Bazoum. This disengagement must start ” this week ” in order to allow the withdrawal of all military personnel ” by the end of the year “, specifies the press release.
This announcement comes a little less than two weeks after the Head of State, Emmanuel Macron, ended up accepting, on September 24, the departure of French soldiers, vehemently demanded by the Nigerien putschists, since the beginning of the month. ‘august. A standoff lasting more than two months during which the new Nigerien authorities organized a blockade of the bases on which the French soldiers were located, gradually depriving them of water, food, fuel, and electricity.
No indication was given in Paris on how this withdrawal would be carried out. The Ministry of the Armed Forces only insists on the fact that a good “coordination” with the Nigerien armies is “essential to the success of this maneuver”. A sentence which alludes to the still very tense relations between the putschists and the French authorities, despite the resignation of Paris and the departure of the French ambassador to Niamey, Sylvain Itté, on September 27.
Mediation from Algeria
On Thursday, the Nigerien authorities estimated in a press release that the French withdrawal should be carried out according to their ” terms “ and respecting their “interests”. The putschists in power in Niamey specify that “the first to pack up” must be the 400 French people based in the west of the country, in the so-called “three borders” between Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali, where the Islamic State group operates. It is only in a second phase that the Niamey air base, where the majority of French troops are located (around 1,000 soldiers), can be dismantled.
This injunction should not disrupt the French logistical maneuver too much, with Niamey currently concentrating most of its air assets. On the other hand, the ban formulated by the junta on taking the road towards Benin makes disengagement more complex. Cotonou has for years been the port through which French military equipment is transported to the Sahel – it was one of the main ports used during the dismantling of Operation “Barkhane” in 2022. The French will be able to take “any direction except Benin”warned, on October 4, the new Nigerien Minister of the Interior, General Mohamed Toumba. “We’re going to let go of your planes at the last minute”he added.
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