NIAMEY: Niger’s military regime on Sunday lauded the announcement that the French government will pull its forces out of the African country by the end of the year as “a fresh step towards sovereignty”.
The military rulers’ statement came hours after the French President announced that France would soon withdraw its envoy from Niger, followed by its military contingent in the next months.
Niger’s Military Rulers Welcome Decision of French Troops Pull-out
“This Sunday, we cheer a new footstep towards Niger’s sovereignty,” the military rulers said in a statement. It added that the French forces and the envoy of France would leave Nigerien land by the end of this year.
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The statement, read out on the country’s state television, said: “This is a very historic moment, which speaks to the resolve and will of the people of Nigeria.”
Earlier Sunday, before President Macron’s announcement, the ASECNA said that Niger’s rulers had banned “French airplanes” from flying over its country airspace.
