Niger’s military demands ‘negotiated framework’ for French troop withdrawal

KIGALI, Rwanda

The military administration in Niger said it is waiting for an official note from Paris on the withdrawal of French troops and that country’s ambassador from the West African country.

Government spokesman Col. Amadou Abdramane said Niger is waiting for Macron’s “declaration to be followed by official acts emanating from the competent French authorities.”

The withdrawal of French troops must “be established within a negotiated framework and by mutual agreement for better efficiency,” Abdramane said in a statement on national television late Monday.

President Emmanuel Macron announced Sunday the planned withdrawal of French soldiers deployed in Niger by the end of the year, and the return to Paris of Ambassador Sylvain Itte.

The announcement came after weeks of protests against the French army's presence in Niger. It was welcomed by the military as “a historic moment that reflects the determination and will of the Nigerien people.”

Niger plunged into turmoil July 26 when Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani, a former commander of the presidential guard, led a military intervention that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.

The country hosts 1,500 French troops as part of a regional counter-insurgency force.

But relations between Niger and France sharply deteriorated after Bazoum’s ouster.

Military leaders announced Aug. 3 the scrapping of military agreements with France, a decision Paris said was rubbish, citing a lack of legitimacy.

In August, the military expelled Itte but he refused to leave, even after military authorities revoked diplomatic privileges and immunities.