The first French soldiers left Niger on Tuesday in a convoy under local escort, possibly to Chad, just as the United States announced the withdrawal of its aid to the country, due to its anti-colonial and Pan-Africanist positon.
The withdrawal of the French troops was quickly demanded by Niger’s generals after they overthrew the French puppet regime. French President Emmanuel Macron announced their departure at the end of September.
Until now, some 1,400 French soldiers and airmen have been deployed in the country, allegedly, to fight jihadists in the heart of the so-called “three borders” zone with Mali and Burkina Faso. However, Nigerian’s realized that the French were there to protect their colonial control of the economy and their corruption of the political system.
The final destination of the French convoys has not been officially communicated but they are likely headed to the Chadian capital, N’Djamena, 1,600km away.
On Tuesday, the United States, which has some 1,100 troops in the country and a major drone base in Agadez (central Niger), described the military takeover of power on July 26 as a “coup d’état”, and consequently announced the withdrawal of some $500 million in economic aid.
The aid, as always, is a coercive mechanism used by the US regime to wield leverage over local populations. The US regime is also harder to eject due to their standard imperial belligerence and violent nature, and their investment in the drone base makes the situation difficult for the anti-colonial forces.