"The first troops have left," the spokesman of the French chief of staff said, confirming an announcement Monday by Niger's army, which said that the 1,400-strong French contingent would begin leaving Tuesday, under escort from Niger forces. A French defence source said a first group of soldiers that were considered priority for evacuation for health or humanitarian reasons had already flown out of Niger on Monday. It is the fourth time in under two years that French troops have suffered the humiliation of being forced out of a former African colony, coming after Mali, the Central African Republic and Burkina Faso. In late September, however, he announced both the ambassador, and the troops were coming home after months of anti-French protests. Read: France withdrawing troops from Niger, Macron saysAmbassador Sylvain Itte returned to Paris on September 27.

Source: Daily Nation October 10, 2023 15:41 UTC