French troops have started withdrawing from Niger this week. The first convoy of French soldiers was escorted by Niger troops out of the country; they are moving to neighboring Chad where they are planning to stay. The French ambassador to Niger has already left the country, after defiantly ignoring the the numerous requests from the Niger government for him to leave (France set to Withdraw Troops and Ambassador from Niger). To this day, the Western media and the West still call the Niger government “junta leaders” or “mutinous soldiers” while they praise the Gabon military coup leader; such double standards! Niger’s government has also given 72 hours to the UN resident coordinator in Niger to leave the country; citing “underhanded maneuvers” by the U.N. secretary-general to prevent Niger’s full participation at last month’s General Assembly in New York, given that Niger’s representative was denied attendance (can you imagine: a nation belonging to the UN has a conflict with another member state, and the UN (organization supposed to serve all nations) refuses it a chance to talk at its tribune?). The US has now called the deposed president (puppet Bazoum), and suspended aid to Niger, while still maintaining their military drone base in Niger… All Niger people should remain on high alert!!!

Excerpts below are from Al-Jazeera.

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French soldiers have started to withdraw from their bases in Niger, with the first convoy of troops escorted out of the country by Niger’s military as it travelled in the “direction of Chad”, authorities in the capital Niamey said.

Pick-up trucks and armoured personnel carriers laden with French soldiers drove through the dusty outskirts of Niamey on Tuesday, marking a departure demanded by Niger’s military rulers who seized power in July.

In a statement read on state television, Niger’s military called on citizens to cooperate with the troop movements, which it said would involve some of the 1,500 French soldiers leaving Niger by road to Chad, a journey of hundreds of kilometres through sometimes insecure territory.

“The troops based in Ouallam have left their base today. These are the operations for the departure of the first ground convoy in the direction of Chad, escorted by our defence and security forces,” the military said.

In addition to the departure by land, “three special flights” have been registered at the airport in Niamey, two for the departure of “97 special forces elements” and one “dedicated to logistics.”

… Approximately 1,000 French troops were stationed in Niamey, with another 400 deployed at two forward bases in the northwest, near Mali and Burkina Faso, ….

Niger’s military rulers, which assured the withdrawal will take place in “complete safety”, said remaining French forces would continue to leave on “a timetable agreed to by both parties”.

The United States on Tuesday also formally declared that Niger’s democratically-elected president was removed in a military coup, which results in officially suspending assistance to Niger [what else is new?]. Though there are no plans to change the US troop presence in the country, senior administration officials said….

There are now about 1,000 US defence department personnel in Niger, according to the officials. …