00:00 It was the end of a standoff.
00:02 French President Emmanuel Macron has ceded to the demands of Niger's ruling junta
00:07 and agreed to recall his ambassador and withdraw military forces.
00:11 Following Sunday's announcement,
00:13 hundreds of people in Niamey gathered outside the airbase
00:16 housing French troops to celebrate.
00:19 The French can leave because they have failed militarily.
00:24 They have failed diplomatically.
00:26 From the moment the French ambassador was declared persona non grata,
00:30 he must leave.
00:31 It's followed nearly two months of back and forth.
00:35 On one side, Niger's new military rulers,
00:37 hungry for international recognition
00:39 and strongly opposed to France's military presence.
00:42 And on the other side, a French government that has struggled
00:45 to keep hold of its influence in a country hosting more than 1,500 of its soldiers.
00:51 A joint military partnership between Niger and France called Operation Alma
00:55 who had been making progress in the fight against terrorism.
00:59 But in the wake of Niger's July 26 coup,
01:01 some in the country feel confident it can tackle terrorist groups on its own.
01:06 We have to be able to fight terrorism.
01:09 Otherwise we will be crushed.
01:12 If the terrorists are our fellow countrymen,
01:14 why shouldn't we be able to combat them?
01:17 However, since the overthrow of President Bassem
01:20 and the subsequent suspension of foreign military alliances,
01:23 Dijer has seen a rise in extremist violence.
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