NAIROBI, December 22. /TASS/: The last French troops left Niger on Friday, AFP reported, citing Nigerien military.
"Today's date marks the end of the disengagement process of French forces in the Sahel," Niger Army Lieutenant Salim Ibrahim said at a ceremony at Niamey Air Base, which used to be home to some French troops.
The ceremony was concluded by the signing of a joint document by the chief of staff of the Nigerien Army, Colonel Mamane Sani Kiaou, and the commander of the French forces in the Sahel, General Eric Ozanne, said Ibrahim. The signing took place in the presence of the chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Togo and the US military attache. The air base was handed over to the Nigerien military.
No major incidents have been recorded during the pullout, Ibrahim said.
In late July, a group of mutinous soldiers in Niger announced the ouster of President Mohamed Bazoum. They then established the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland, headed by General Abdourahmane Tchiani, to run the country. The country’s new rulers denounced agreements with Paris that allowed the deployment of French troops in Niger to fight extremist groups. France began withdrawing its troops from the African country on October 10. At that time there were about 1,400 French servicemen in Niger.
