French party leader calls it humiliating to leave Niger

Eric Ciotti, leader of The Republicans party, has said that France's withdrawal from Niger was a humiliation and defeat for Paris.

He made the remarks in an interview with the newspaper Le Parisien.

"We have suffered humiliation and defeat," he noted. - This is the consequence of a long political drift, as a result of which France disappeared from Africa."

According to Ciotti, leaving the African continent could have serious consequences for Paris and lead to a decline in its influence. "One has to watch with despair as the great Gaullist policy towards Africa collapses. It is inexcusable," he said.

Commenting on the departure of the head of the French diplomatic mission in Niamey, Sylvain Itte, the Republican leader emphasized that the diplomat no longer had any other choice."

During the presidency of Charles de Gaulle (1959-1969), the policy of "Fransafrique" ("French Africa") was formed, which implied the informal guardianship of Paris over the former colonies in Africa.