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Thousands of Nigeriens Take to Streets to Celebrate French Troops Withdrawal

10:15, 30 December 2023

Rasina Musallimova

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On December 22, the last French troops deployed in Niger left the country, the Nigerien military authorities said at a ceremony in the capital city of the West African nation Niamey, marking the end of their presence after ten years of French anti-jihadist combat in the Sahel.

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Thousands of people in Niger took to the streets to celebrate the withdrawal of French troops, completed on December 22.

The prime ministers of Burkina Faso and Mali attended the demonstration. These West African countries, along with Niger, have ceased military cooperation with their former colonizer, France.

In addition to the withdrawal of the French troops from its territory, Niger won the expulsion of the French ambassador to the West African country, Sylvain Itte, and halted all cooperation with the International Organization of Francophone Nations (OIF).