Wounded by French Army, Nigerien Man Welcomes End of Operation Barkhane
A man holds a placard reading “Clear off criminal French army” as people demonstrate against French military presence in Niger on September 18, 2022 in Niamey.
The end of Operation Barkhane does not change much for Niger, and the French have never really fought against terrorists anyway, says a Nigerien school principal. The headmaster and teacher spoke to Sputnik about the demonstration where he was wounded by French soldiers.The counter-terrorism situation in Niger has improved in recent months, but only thanks to Nigerien forces, whereas the French Barkhane mission has done nothing, Nourou Hamadou, a principal of the Arboudji school in the department of Tera, told Sputnik.”Things are now not the same with security. There is improvement. But it’s our defense forces who are going to the front and are fighting [the terrorists]. That’s why there is some progress. For the moment, we, on the ground, do not see the Barkhane force, there are no French […]. We can see that there are no results from Barkhane, because we haven’t seen any French troops on the ground fighting, or engaging in the real fight against terrorism,” Hamadou said.He notes that it is the Nigerien soldiers who are dying:”We have never seen the French attacking terrorists. We see the lack of results. That’s why we’re saying: enough is enough!”
Wounded by French Soldiers During Peaceful March
The schoolteacher spoke about a peaceful demonstration against the Barkhane forces held in Téra on 27 November 2021, during which he was injured by a live bullet fired by the French military.”When we held our peaceful march to block the French convoy, which was passing through, they fired live ammunition and also used tear gas. I was among the demonstrators, and some were killed and others wounded. I myself was among those who were shot in the feet. I am one of the victims,” he said.
Fear Caused by Constant Insecurity
Hamadou swears that there has never been any violence at his school, which is closed for security reasons. However, in the region of Téra, eight kilometers from the school, there are occasionally armed criminals who come there on motorcycles to disturb the peace. This is why he is afraid to go to his place of work.”Indeed, I was afraid to come to work at the school,” he added.
End of Operation Barkhane in the Sahel
The French President officially declared an end to Operation Barkhane in the Sahel on 9 November, a little less than three months after French soldiers withdrew from Mali.He said that France would finalize its new strategy in Africa within six months after holding talks with its partners on the continent.
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