Last Batch Of French Troops Exit Niger

France on Friday withdrew its last troops in Niger, a move seen as further setback in the anti-jihadist operations in west Africa’s Sahel region.

France has in the last ten years participated in the operations.

The withdrawal comes days after French said it may consider closing down its embassy in Niger, arising from escalating strained relations after the military toppled President Mohamed Bazoum in July.

Only hundreds of US military personnel and a number of Italian and German troops are left in the country after the departure of French troops.

France had announced it would pull out its roughly 1,500 soldiers and pilots from Niger after the military rule in its former colony demanded they depart after the July 26 coup.

It was the third time in less than 18 months that French troops were sent packing from a Sahel nation, after fellow former colonies Mali and Burkina Faso following military takeovers.

All three nations are battling a jihadist insurgency that erupted in northern Mali in 2012 and spread, but their relations have nosedived with France since a string of coups in the region.

The last French soldiers took off from an airbase in the capital Niamey aboard two aircraft, according to an AFP report but their destination was unclear.

“Today’s date… marks the end of the disengagement process of French forces in the Sahel,” said Niger army lieutenant Salim Ibrahim.

Ibrahim said the pullout from Niger, which started in October, included 145 flights and 15 ground convoys in total.

The French military told AFP that no equipment was left behind, aside buildings left in place.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced in September the withdrawal of all French troops from Niger by the end of the year.

Most French troops in Niger had been stationed at the air base in Niamey.

Smaller groups were deployed alongside Nigerien soldiers to the border with Mali and Burkina Faso, where jihadist groups linked to the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda are believed to operate.