France is considering several options for the withdrawal of its troops from Niger, contacts with the Niger army continue and relate to operational and technical aspects, a representative of the French General Staff told Al-Arabiya TV channel.
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“Contacts with the Niger army concern operational and technical aspects … We are considering several options for the withdrawal of our troops from Niger,” the General Staff said, adding that partnership with Niger in the field of combating terrorism “does not exist anymore.”
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Previously appointed by the rebels, Prime Minister of Niger Ali Mahamane Lamine Zein announced negotiations on the speedy withdrawal of French soldiers from the country. He also said that French forces were in the country illegally.
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At the end of July, the Niger military announced on national television the removal of Bazum from power and the formation of the National Council for the Defense of the Fatherland (CNSP). The leaders of most Western countries and the regional organization ECOWAS condemned the coup. In early August, the participants in the emergency meeting of the Chiefs of General Staff of the Armed Forces of the ECOWAS countries, held in Abuja (Nigeria), adopted a plan in case of military intervention in Niger.
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Niger is a former French colony, it remained one of the last allies of Western countries in the Sahel. In addition, the country has rich reserves of uranium on which France depends. According to French media, this African country accounts for 15% to 17% of the uranium used to generate electricity in France. 1,500 and 1,000 French troops are currently stationed in Niger and Chad.
