During an interview focused on purchasing power on French television, President Emmanuel Macron made a significant announcement on Sunday, September 24.

He revealed that the French ambassador in Niamey, Sylvain Itté, would be repatriated to Paris, and 1,500 French troops deployed in Niger to combat terrorism would be withdrawn. This decision comes two months after a military coup in the Sahelian country and marks the end of weeks of tensions with the junta, a situation that had become increasingly untenable for France.

Macron stated, "France has decided to withdraw its ambassador. In the next hours, our ambassador and many diplomats will return to France. And we are ending our military cooperation with the de facto authorities in Niger because they no longer want to fight terrorism." He went on to say that French soldiers in Niger would "return in an orderly fashion over the coming weeks and months" and that this return would be completed before "the end of the year." His announcement was met with immediate jubilation in Niamey, where thousands of people gathered spontaneously at a traffic circle near the main military base housing French troops.

Macron's decision represents a significant shift, considering that France had previously resisted the demands of the junta led by General Abdourahamane Tiani, who played a key role in the removal of Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum. According to Macron's office, these decisions were made in consultation with Bazoum, who, despite being under house arrest with his family since the coup, has not formally resigned. Coordination with leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) also played a role in the decision-making process.

Despite initially making Bazoum's approval a condition for any military withdrawal, Macron's office stated that he had spoken with the deposed president again on Sunday. The French presidency remains committed to working with ECOWAS to secure Bazoum's release and the restoration of constitutional order. They view Bazoum as the legitimate leader of Niger. Photo by Roland Huziaker, Wikimedia commons.