Niger withdraws from Lake Chad Multinational Joint Task Force

Niger has withdrawn from the military coalition fighting Islamist insurgency groups in the Lake Chad region of west-central Africa, saying it will focus instead on protecting its oil operations from jihadist attacks.

The announcement comes amid rising tensions between the four countries bordering Lake Chad since a 2023 coup by Niger's military.

The operation under the Multinational Joint Task Force, active since 2015, would now be called "Nalewa Dole" following Niger's withdrawal, the army said in a bulletin read on state TV on Saturday.

The move "reflects a stated intent to reinforce security for oil sites", the bulletin stated, without further elaboration.

The four countries that surround Lake Chad -- Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria -- have been battling insurgencies since 2009, after a spate of violent campaigns by the Boko Haram group in Nigeria's northeast spilled into its neighbours.

TRT Global - Chad cuts military ties with France to 'assert full sovereignty'

Chad now joins other Sahel countries including Niger and Mali in ending security and defence partnerships with their former colonial ruler.

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