President Emmanuel Macron announced Sunday that France will end its military presence in Niger and pull its ambassador out of the country after its democratically elected president was deposed in a coup.
The change comes after Niger's democratically elected president was deposed in a coup. French troops pulled out of neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso in recent years after coups there.
PARIS — President Emmanuel Macron announced Sunday that France will end its military presence in Niger and pull its ambassador out of the country as a result of the coup that removed the democratically elected president.
PARIS -- President Emmanuel Macron announced Sunday that France will end its military presence in Niger and pull its ambassador out of the country after its democratically elected president was deposed in a coup.
President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday said France is imminently to withdraw its ambassador from Niger, followed by the French military contingent in the next months, in the wake of the coup in the west African country that ousted the pro-Paris president.
France will withdraw its troops and ambassador from the West African country of Niger, meeting one of the demands of the military junta, which seized power there in July.
The announcement was a significant blow to France’s policy in Africa, with its troops having had to pull out of neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso in recent years after coups there.
France's ambassador in Niger was flown out of the country early on Wednesday morning, its presidency confirmed, around one month after the military government ordered his expulsion.
The French diplomat left the capital of Niamey and has arrived in Paris, the French Foreign Ministry said. The military junta had ordered his expulsion some weeks ago.
By Chris Liakos, CNN Paris (CNN) — The French ambassador to Niger, Sylvain Itte, has returned to Paris, the French Foreign Ministry told CNN on Wednesday. “Our ambassador to Niger returned to Paris today, as decided by the President of the Republic on Sunday,” the ministry said.
France's ambassador to Niger landed in Paris on Wednesday, after weeks of tensions with the post-coup regime in the West African country who demanded his expulsion.
