Former President 'Tried to Escape' as French Troops Leave Niger

The military junta has detained former president Mohamed Bazoum after "his family, his two cooks and two security elements, tried to escape from his place of detention". They apparently had intentions of departing via helicopters "belonging to a foreign entity" en route to Nigeria.

French military convoys started leaving bases in the Niger's southwest, further undermining France's standing in the conflict-torn Sahel region.

This comes after French President, Emmanuel Macron, declared the troops' departure at the end of September, after the Niger generals demanded their evacuation.

Furthermore, the head of the UN diplomatic mission in the country is being forced to leave, saying that Niger was left out of the UN General Assembly in September.

Meanwhile, the United States officially referred to the military takeover of power on July 26 as a "coup d'état". As a result, the country, which currently maintains about 1,100 troops and a sizeable drone base in Agadez, central Niger, announced the withdrawal of about U.S.$500 million in economic aid.

This article was originally from All Africa

Image by Zayid Ballesteros/ Spc.