Niger’s Parliament on Friday voted in favor of a bill that allows the deployment of more European forces in the West African country to fight terrorists as France continues withdrawal of its troops from neighboring Mali, reported Reuters.
Niger’s National Assembly approved the bill with 135 majority members out of a total of 166.
The issue of increased foreign troops in the country had pitted President Mohamed Bazoum’s governing party against opposition and civil society group who are weary about France’s military involvement in its former colonies.
Niger’s Prime Minister Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou rejected all the criticism claiming that entering into new partnerships in no way calls into question the country’s sovereignty over the national territory.
NIger is involved in fighting against jihadist movements with links to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State groups and has the support of several western countries such as France and the United States.
Mahamadou said the recent departure of French and European forces from Mali constitutes a major factor in worsening the security situation along the 800km border between Niger and Mali.
About 2,400 French troops and 900 special forces from the French-led Takuba task force are expected to leave Mali in the coming months as relations between France and the ruling military government in Bamako continue to rapidly deteriorate.
The withdrawal has sparked concerns that violence from Mali’s central region will further spread across the Sahel. In Mali, an array of armed groups who have pledged allegiance to ISIL (ISIS) and al-Qaeda, have stoked ethnic tensions fuelled by dwindling resources.
In addition to the foreign special forces of France and the United States already deployed, Niger’s government said it was ready to welcome others.
A joint force of troops from the G5 Sahel countries, including Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger, is also active along the porous border between Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.
