European Observatory to Combat Radicalization – EOCR
France starts process of withdrawing its forces from Niger
lemonde.fr – Paris has discreetly opened discussions with the ruling military in Niamey on ‘the withdrawal of certain elements,’ after initially refusing to comply with the junta’s demands. Some 1,500 soldiers are reportedly still deployed in the country.France is trying to break the deadlock in Niger, without recognizing the de facto authorities and in a climate of growing hostility. After five weeks of tension with the members of the July 26 coup, Paris has finally begun talks on redeploying some of its forces in Niger. After initially refusing to comply with the demands of the Nigerien military, who have made political capital of the departure of French soldiers, the Ministry of the Armed Forces and several corroborating sources told Le Monde on Tuesday, September 5, that they were discussing the details of “withdrawing certain military elements.”
At the beginning of August, the junta gave France one month to withdraw from Nigerien territory, after renouncing the military cooperation agreements between Paris and Niamey. On September 2, the eve of the expiry of the ultimatum set by the putschists, thousands of pro-junta Nigeriens once again demonstrated against the presence of the French military, just a stone’s throw from the base they occupy in Niamey with other foreign detachments.In practice, the French and Nigerien militaries had already suspended all forms of joint operations against jihadist groups since the coup. All military resources, particularly air assets (drones, helicopters, fighter jets, etc.), were immobilized. “It is normal to discuss [the French withdrawal], as anti-terrorist cooperation has been interrupted,” a source within the French government explained on Tuesday.
“There are local coordination exchanges (…) between military personnel to facilitate the movement of French military resources immobilized since the suspension of anti-terrorist cooperation,” the entourage of Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu said on Tuesday. This a minimal acknowledgment, given that the junta’s prime minister, Ali Mahamane Lamine Zeine, declared at a press conference the previous day that “exchanges are underway” to enable a rapid withdrawal of French armed forces.
Redeployment or repatriation?
While the principle of a withdrawal seems to have been accepted, neither the number of soldiers concerned nor the modalities of their departure have been officially confirmed. At present, some 1,500 French soldiers are still deployed in the country at three bases shared with other foreign detachments, notably American: in Niamey; in Ouallam, north of the capital; and in Ayorou, near the border with Mali.
Several avenues are being explored for the redeployment of these troops. Neighboring Chad, where France already has 1,500 troops, is the “most obvious” possibility, according to a French source. But what’s the point when Mali, Burkina Faso and now Niger, the three countries in the region most affected by jihadism, reject their presence?
