FILE PHOTO: Trucks carrying food, humanitarian aid, and industrial equipment wait due to sanctions imposed by Niger's regional and international allies, in the border town of Malanville, Benin August 18, 2023. REUTERS/Coffi Seraphin Zounyekpe/File Photo
NIAMEY (Reuters) - The last French troops deployed in Niger to help fight a decade-old Islamist insurgency in the Sahel left the country on Friday, sealing a withdrawal that has dealt a further blow to France's influence in West Africa.
Army officers who seized power in Niger in July made France's military exit one of their key demands, echoing juntas in neighbouring Burkina Faso and Mali who severed long-standing security ties with France after coups in 2020-2022.
