Macron, in Reversal, Says French Soldiers Will Leave Niger
- Pullout of 1,500 troops to be completed by end of year
- Military junta took power in July with anti-French agenda
Photographer: Alain Jocard/AFP/Getty Images
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President Emmanuel Macron said French troops will leave Niger by year’s end, bowing to the demands of a junta in the former colony after a coup that upended France’s strategy in Africa.
Withdrawing France’s roughly 1,500 troops marks a reversal for Macron, who previously rejected a Sept. 3 deadline by the coup leaders and said he’d only do so at the request of ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.