France has withdrawn the last French troops from the West African country of Niger. This ended France’s more than a decade-long campaign against armed groups in the Sahel region of West Africa. Aljazeera, a Qatar-based media outlet, reported this information in a report on Friday (December 22).

Lieutenant Salim Ibrahim of the Niger Army said on Friday that the withdrawal process of the French forces has been completed today.

France’s relationship with Niger’s new junta government has been at a low since last July’s military coup. Apart from this, the anti-French attitude among the people of the country also increased a lot. They protested in front of the French army base in Niamey, the capital, after the withdrawal of about 1,500 French troops from Niger. At first he did not agree, but later, under pressure, President Emmanuel Machon agreed to withdraw French troops.

Earlier, French troops were also expelled from Mali and Burkina Faso, two other countries in West Africa. Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso—all three countries are former French colonies.

Armed rebel groups are active in all three countries. The three countries have been conducting operations with the armies of France, the United States and other western countries to suppress them. However, a series of coups in the region since 2020 and the resulting rise in anti-French sentiment among the population have led to a breakdown in relations with France. As a result, Russia’s dominance in the region continues to grow. Although French troops have left Niger, there are still hundreds of US, Italian and German troops in the country.