End of an Era: French Military Completes Withdrawal from Niger After Over a Decade of Anti-Jihadist Operations in Sahel

The French military completed its withdrawal from Niger on Friday, marking the end of over a decade of French anti-jihadist operations in West Africa’s Sahel region.

The departure of the French troops leaves only a few hundred US military personnel and a small number of Italian and German troops remaining in the country.

France decided to pull out its approximately 1,500 soldiers and pilots from Niger after the country’s new ruling generals demanded their departure following a coup on July 26.

This marks the third instance in less than 18 months where French troops were asked to leave a Sahel nation, following similar situations in Mali and Burkina Faso after military takeovers.

The three nations have been grappling with a jihadist insurgency that originated in northern Mali in 2012 and has since spread. However, their relationship with France has deteriorated following a series of coups in the region.

The final French soldiers departed from an air base in Niamey’s capital aboard two aircraft. Their destination was not disclosed. According to Niger army lieutenant Salim Ibrahim, “Today’s date… marks the end of the disengagement process of French forces in the Sahel.”

While around 1,000 French troops remain in neighbouring Chad, where France has centred its Sahel anti-jihadist operations, they no longer have a presence in the three central countries combating the extremists.

The withdrawal from Niger, which began in October, involved 145 flights and 15 ground convoys. The French military stated that no equipment was left behind, but some buildings were left intact.

French President Emmanuel Macron had previously announced the withdrawal of all French troops from Niger by the end of the year. The majority of French troops in Niger had been stationed at the air base in Niamey, with smaller groups deployed alongside Nigerien soldiers to the border with Mali and Burkina Faso, where jihadist groups linked to the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda are known to operate.

The withdrawal was a complex operation, requiring road convoys to travel up to 1,700 kilometres (1,000 miles) on sometimes dangerous desert routes to Chad.

The first French road convoy of troops withdrawing from Niger reached Chad’s capital N’Djamena in October after a 10-day journey.

French troops from Chad can depart by air with their most sensitive equipment, while the rest must be transported by land and sea.

According to a source familiar with the situation, some French containers carrying equipment were set to be driven from Chad to the port of Douala in Cameroon before being shipped back to France by sea.