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Coup attempt in Niger

France to begin troop withdrawal from Niger within a week — Armed Forces’ General Staff

Earlier, the rebel-appointed minister of state and minister of the interior claimed that France was not going to withdraw its military from the Nigerien territory, arguing that Paris "supports terrorism in Niger"

© AP Photo/Jerome Delay

PARIS, October 5. /TASS/. The French military stationed in Niger will start leaving that African country within a week, the AFP news agency has reported with reference to the General Staff of the French Armed Forces.

"We are going to start the withdrawal operation within a week. Everything will be done in an orderly manner, in proper security conditions and in coordination with Niger," the French Armed Forces’ General Staff said.

On Wednesday, Mohamed Toumba, the rebel-appointed minister of state and minister of the interior, public security and territorial administration, told Al Jazeera television that he believed France was not going to withdraw its military from Nigerien territory. He argued that Paris "supports terrorism in Niger" and does not allow the country to independently manage its own resources.

On July 26, a group of military officers from Niger's presidential guard mutinied and announced the ouster of President Mohamed Bazoum. The National Council for the Salvation of the Homeland, headed by the Guard’s commander, Abdourahmane Tchiani, was formed to govern the country. One of the decisions of the coup’s organizers was the severing of military agreements with France concerning the deployment of French detachments and the status of military personnel present in the country for fighting against radical Islamists.

On September 24, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the withdrawal of the ambassador and a number of diplomats from Niamey, as well as refused to have military cooperation with the rebels who seized power in Niger. He specified that France intended to withdraw its military from the country by the end of the year. On September 26, Colonel Amadou Abdramane, a representative of the National Council for the Salvation of the Homeland, said that the new authorities had not received any official notification about the withdrawal of the French military.

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