US weighs options in Niger after France pullout

The United States has said it will "evaluate" its next steps on the crisis in Niger after France announced a full troop withdrawal as demanded by the nation's military coup leaders.

France fields 1,500 soldiers in Niger as part of an anti-insurgency deployment in the Sahel region and the United States 1,100 military personnel.

"While we give diplomacy a chance, we will alsocontinue to evaluate any future steps that would prioritise both our diplomaticand security goals," US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters inNairobi.

He stressed Washington had "not made any significantchange to our force postures and... we really want to see a diplomaticsolution, a peaceful end" to the crisis.

Military cooperation 'over'

On Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would withdraw its ambassador from Niger shortly, with French troops leaving by year's end.

The decision came two months after the July 26 coup oustedpro-Paris President Mohamed Bazoum.

Macron added that military cooperation was "over"and French troops would withdraw in "the months and weeks to come"with a full pullout "by the end of the year."

The Pentagon had announced on September 7 that some USsoldiers were being transferred as a precaution from a base in the capitalNiamey to an air base to the north in the Agadez region.

"We'll do an assessment of what it means for Franceto... have its troops withdraw from Niger, but right now, we're just focused oncontinuing that move," Sabrina Singh, a Pentagon spokesperson, said.

Surveillance flights

The United States said on September 18 it was resumingsurveillance flights over Niger which had been halted by the coup, with otheroperations on hold.

Tens of thousands had taken to the streets of Niamey insupport of the coup leaders and the demand for the French ambassador and thetroops to leave, but Niamey remained calm on Monday after Macron'sannouncement.

Pan-Africanist militant Kemi Seba, a Franco-Beninois,arrived in Niamey on Monday and spoke out against the French"arrogance."

"The people of Niger asked for the French army to leaveas soon as possible," he said.

"Macron in his full colonial arrogance says the Frencharmy will leave by the end of the year as if it was for him to decide when thecolonialist should pack his bags."

'Historic moment'

On the streets of the capital several Nigeriens hailed theFrench departure.

"The French military has to go immediately becausereally we don't need them," Marzouk Doulla told AFP in the Yantala area,near the embassy.

"They say they are helping us, we don't seen anychange." Another local, Abdoulkari Hassane Maikano, agreed.

"It's a long time since France brought its army here toNiger, but they have not been able to wipe out terrorism," he noted.

The military regime welcomed the pullout, saying: "This Sunday, we celebrate a new step towards the sovereignty of Niger.

"This is a historic moment, which speaks to the determinationand will of the Nigerien people," it said in a statement read out onnational television.