French troops are starting to withdraw from Niger following the July coup as extremist attacks rise

By SAM MEDNICK
Associated Press

COTONOU, Benin (AP) — The French military says it’s begun withdrawing from Niger following the July coup when mutinous soldiers toppled the country’s democratically elected president. The French didn’t specify on Wednesday how many troops were departing or where they’re headed. Niger’s state television broadcast late Tuesday images of a convoy leaving a base in Ouallam in the country’s north, saying it was bound for neighboring Chad. French military transport aircraft were also shown departing from an airbase in the capital, Niamey. The departure comes weeks after French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France will end its military presence in Niger and pull its ambassador out of the country as a result of the coup that removed President Mohamed Bazoum in late July.