2023-09-25 00:22:36
A logical continuation of the military putsch in Niger at the end of July? The President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron announced this Sunday evening the withdrawal of French troops from the Sahel, during his interview on TF1 and France 2. “We are ending our military cooperation in Niger. The soldiers deployed there will also return by the end of the year,” promised the Head of State, believing that Operation Barkhane in the Sahel had been a “success”. The French ambassador to Niger as well as the diplomatic staff present there will also return to France, indicated Emmanuel Macron.
“There was nothing else to do, it was the only solution from the start,” reacts hotly Thierry Vircoulon, coordinator of the Observatory on Central and Southern Africa at the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI). Niger – where France has around 1,500 soldiers – had become “the new French support point” in this region, after the forced withdrawals from Mali and Burkina Faso in August 2022 and early 2023 which led Paris to strengthen its presence in Niger.
“France no longer has any future in the Sahel”
After this announcement, Thierry Vircoulon believes that “France’s war against jihadism is officially over”. “France no longer has any future in the Sahel,” he believes. Until then, Paris supported Nigerien troops in their fight against jihadism. In response, the Nigerien military regime welcomed “a new step towards sovereignty” of its country, speaking of a “historic moment which testifies to the determination and will of the Nigerien people”.
For this specialist, this is a French “admission of helplessness”. “The putschists are pushing France out and the President of the Republic has no other option than to withdraw his troops. Otherwise, it is called military occupation. » From now on, the French presence in Africa is focused on other countries such as Senegal (400 soldiers) or Ivory Coast (900 soldiers). “The troops in Chad are mainly used for intelligence,” adds Thierry Vircoulon.
At the end of July, a military junta – led by General Abdourahamane Tiani – overthrew the current Nigerien president Mohamed Bazoum. “This follows the continued deterioration of the security situation, poor economic and social governance,” the putschists then justified. Since then, tensions between Niamey and Paris have continued to increase. Niger had notably accused France of preparing an armed intervention, which Paris had denied. At the end of August, the putschists also ordered the departure of the French ambassador from Niger. This Sunday, Niger banned its airspace to French planes.
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