France is going to take its soldiers out of Niger because of a coup that happened in July.
The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, made this announcement on Sunday.
This is not good news for France’s influence in the Sahel region and its efforts to fight against insurgencies.
Macron said that about 1,500 troops will leave Niger by the end of this year.
France used to be the colonial power in Niger, but Macron made it clear that France didn’t want to be controlled by the people who took over in the coup.
This decision by France is a big deal, and it’s happening because the junta (the people who took over in the coup) and the public in Niger have been pushing for France to leave.
This could also make Western countries worried about Russia having more power in Africa.
Russian mercenaries are already called the Wagner force in Mali, which is next to Niger.
Even though Macron doesn’t consider the junta as the legitimate rulers of Niger, he said that France will talk to them to plan the withdrawal of troops.
The French ambassador is also leaving Niger but will come back soon.
“We will consult with the putschists because we want things to be orderly,” Macron said
In recent years, France’s influence in West Africa has been decreasing, and people in these countries have been getting more and more upset with France.
French troops have been kicked out of Mali and Burkina Faso because of coups.
This has weakened France’s role in fighting against Islamist groups across the Sahel region.
Before the coup in Niger, the country was an important security partner for both France and the United States.
They used Niger as a base to fight against Islamist insurgents in the Sahel.
In Niger’s capital, Niamey, there have been protests against France, especially around the French military base there.
People have been demanding that French troops leave. Some protests even involved symbols like slitting the throat of a goat with French colors and coffins with French flags.
Some people in Niamey who support the coup have been waving Russian flags.
This has made Western countries worried that Niger might replace French troops with Russian Wagner fighters.
The leader of the Russian mercenaries, Yevgeny Prigozhin, talked about making Russia more powerful in Africa before he died in a plane crash.
It’s unclear what will happen to the Wagner force now.
The Wagner force is also active in the Central African Republic and Libya. Some Western countries say it’s also in Sudan, but Russia denies this.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for Niger to return to its normal government.
France gets a small amount of uranium, which is used for nuclear power, from Niger (less than 10%).
A French company called Orano runs a uranium mine in the northern part of Niger.
Macron still considers the democratically elected President Mohammed Bazoum as the real leader of Niger, even though he’s currently being held by the people who took over in the coup.
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