France to Pull Troops out of Niger Following Coup

French President Emmanuel Macron at Palais du Pharo in Marseille, France, on Sept. 23, 2023. Yara Nardi/Reuters

PARIS—France will pull its soldiers out of Niger following a July coup in the West African country, President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday, dealing a huge blow to French influence and counter-insurgency operations in the Sahel region.

Mr. Macron said 1,500 troops would withdraw by the end of the year and that France, the former colonial power in Niger, refused to “be held hostage by the putchists.”