The military junta in Niger has announced that it has set December 22 as the deadline for the withdrawal of French troops from that country, the BBC reports.
In a post on the X (formerly Twitter) social network, the junta stated that 1.346 military personnel have left Niger so far, and that the remaining 157 French soldiers are mostly from logistics teams.
Since the military took power in Niger, ousting democratically elected President Mohamed Bazum in a coup, tensions between France and Niger have risen sharply.
The junta ordered the French to leave the country, accusing their former colonial master of trying to force President Bazum back into office.
After that, in October, France began withdrawing its troops from Niger.
In addition, the military authorities have indicated that they plan to terminate some military and economic agreements with official Paris.
Niger has been one of the biggest allies of the West in the Sahel region, in the war against terrorism.
France's influence in the region began to wane after a wave of coups in some of its former colonies.
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