CNN —France will end its military presence in Niger by the end of 2023, French President Emmanuel Macron said Sunday.
“We are putting an end to our military cooperation with the de facto authorities of Niger because they don’t want to fight terrorism anymore,” Macron said regarding the military leaders who took over rule of the northwest African country in July.
Responding to a question on the timeline of the withdrawal, Macron said there will not be any French soldiers in Niger by the end of 2023.
The French president also said he has decided to bring back the country’s ambassador to Niger, Sylvain Itte, to France.
This comes a week after Macron said the ambassador was “literally being held hostage at the French embassy.”“France has decided to bring back its ambassador,” Macron said.
Persons:
Emmanuel Macron, “, ” Macron, Macron, ”, Sylvain Itte
Organizations:
CNN
Locations:
France, Niger, putschists