France to begin troop withdrawal from Niger this week

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00:00 Ever since they seized power in late July, Niger's military rulers and their supporters

00:04 have been demanding French soldiers' withdrawal from the country.

00:08 Now ten days after Emmanuel Macron gave in to their demands and recalled the French ambassador,

00:14 the French army announced it would begin to disengage this week - in good order, safely

00:19 and in coordination with the Nigerians.

00:21 Niger's military regime reacted on social media to say that the withdrawal would be

00:26 carried out in accordance with its interests and on its terms.

00:30 It specified that the 400 French soldiers based in Oualam will be the first to pack

00:34 up and that an Yamey airbase where most of the French troops are stationed will be dismantled

00:39 by the end of the year.

00:41 The decision ends months of tense standoff between the French government and Niger's

00:45 post-coup military regime, which France does not recognise.

00:49 French troops were in Niger as part of a wider fight against jihadists across the Sahel region.

00:55 Some 1,400 soldiers are currently based in the country.

00:59 Most are in Yamey, others in Oualam and in Ayorou, near the borders with Mali and Burkina

01:04 Faso, where they're deployed alongside local troops.

01:08 France had reinforced its presence in Niger after Mali and Burkina Faso's military regimes

01:13 demanded its forces' departure last year.

01:16 The withdrawal is another blow to France's waning influence in Africa, with its military

01:21 presence shrinking and anti-French sentiment on the rise.

01:25 (laughing)

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