France to begin troop withdrawal from Niger this week

FILE PHOTO: A person holds a paper that reads 'We no longer want France' as Nigerien women demonstrate by hitting and carrying kitchen utensils in support of the putschists in front of French Army headquarters, in Niamey, Niger August 30, 2023. REUTERS/Mahamadou Hamidou

PARIS (Reuters) -France will begin withdrawing its troops from coup-hit Niger this week after President Emmanuel Macron said last month he refused to be "held hostage" by the putchists and was ending military cooperation with the West African country.

The decision to pull 1,500 troops from Niger leaves a gaping hole in Western efforts to counter a decade-long Islamist insurgency. It also deals a huge blow to French influence in the Sahel and could allow Russia to expand its sway over the region's vast, insecure scrublands.