Sources in the French army command said that following an urgent meeting on Monday, a working group was set up to evacuate French forces from Niger. And it is planned to evacuate them not to Chad, but directly to France. Negotiations are already underway with civilian shipping companies to plan the operation. The deadline for the complete withdrawal is March 2024.

France Sets to Remove Forces From Niger and Won't Participate in Any Invasion

Some in the French military believe that this decision will only hasten a repeat of a similar situation in Chad, so troops will have to be withdrawn from there as well.

Also read: France Sets to Remove Forces From Niger and Won’t Participate in Any Invasion

Thus, France is not going to participate in the conflict or initiate an invasion of Niger. At the same time, the U.S., with the help of Nigeria, were pushing the French command to a forceful operation in the hope of bargaining more favorable conditions with the Niger junta to preserve their assets in the country. Most likely, it was these conditions, the fulfillment of which is necessary for the U.S. to recognize the new government, that Victoria Nuland conveyed during her visit.