“We are not here to be hostages to scammers. The coup plotters are the allies of disorder”, said an upset Emmanuel Macron when announcing on TV the departure of Niger’s diplomatic representation, as well as the military forces present in two bases. The end of Operation Barkhane, in November 2022, and military coups in several African countries accelerated the French withdrawal, at the same time that the jihadist presence remains in the Sahel and Russia, through the paramilitary group Wagner, extends its tentacles – although other actors such as the USA and China also have a say.
“I am very worried about this region”, said the French president while indicating that attacks by Islamist groups were causing “dozens of deaths every day in Mali” after the coup d’état and that now these attacks had resumed in Niger. “France, sometimes alone, shouldered all its responsibilities and I am proud of our military. But we are not responsible for the political life of these countries and we assume all the consequences”, he further said.
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