French forces withdrawal from Niger help fight against terrorism Defence minister says

After a military coup in late July 2023, the transitional government demanded the expulsion of the French ambassador, announced the denunciation of military agreements with France, and demanded the withdrawal of its troops.

The withdrawal of troops began at the end of October, and the French completely withdrew from Niger on December 22.

The withdrawal of French troops from Niger had a positive effect on the fight against terrorism in the country, Niger's Defense Minister Lieutenant General Salifou Mody told Sputnik.

"French troops left Niger, the last soldiers left on December 22. As for the impact on security in our country, it should be said that this withdrawal of troops, on the one hand, allowed us to clearly see the picture of the fight that we are waging against terrorism, and on the other, to realize our own responsibility. We can say that their withdrawal has had a positive impact on our fight against terrorism," General Mody said.

According to Mody, Niger is also set to discuss with international partners the conditions for their presence in the country.

"As for the remaining partners that are located in Niger, we are currently working on a new form of cooperation [to fight against terrorism]. In the nearest future, we will discuss with our partners, who have already been informed about the new goals that we have identified within the framework of the fight against terrorism, the specific conditions for their participation or, to be more precisely, presence on our territory," the general revealed.

Speaking of partners, Mody said that Niger will soon begin activities with Russia to increase the potential of its armed forces.

"We have been in Moscow for 72 hours now as part of efforts to strengthen cooperation between our two countries, and this is the beginning of cooperation that is in the process of strengthening... As for security and defense, things are moving fast here — we have already held a number of meetings in Niamey, completed work on projects here in Moscow, and work on the capacity building of our armed forces will begin very soon," he said.

Niger's Defense Minister arrived in Russia on January 15 as part of a government delegation, that included the country's Prime Minister Ali Mahamane Lamine Zeine.

During the meeting, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk said that Russia is interested in expanding trade, economic and investment ties and trade turnover with Niger, adding that joint steps are needed to develop the partnership in energy and a number of other areas.

In July 2023, a coup took place in Niger, a former French colony. President Mohamed Bazoum was ousted and detained by his own guard, led by General Abdourahamane Tiani. The National Council for the Defense of the Homeland was created, and a decree was signed forming a new transitional government. Ali Lamine Zeine, who formerly served as the finance minister, was designated as the prime minister.