The Niger government said on November 27, local time that a French army's logistics supply convoy was intercepted by protesters in the western part of the country that day, and clashes broke out between the two sides, resulting in 2 deaths and 18 injuries.
The French army said that the French soldiers fired shots to disperse the crowd trying to rob, and no soldiers were injured.
The Ministry of the Interior of Niger issued a statement saying that a French army convoy escorted by the Niger military police was blocked by violent demonstrators in the Tillabéri area. In order to escape the predicament, the French used force and caused 2 deaths and 18 injuries, including 11 others. serious.
The statement said that the Niger government has launched an investigation to hold relevant parties accountable.
According to Agence France-Presse, the convoy departed from Côte d’Ivoire last week, passing through Burkina Faso and Niger, to Gao, in central Mali.
The convoy passed through Burkina Faso’s second largest city, Bobo-Dioulasso and the capital Ouagadougou, when it was intercepted by locals. Later, it encountered demonstrators in Kaya, north of Ouagadougou.
The locals protested against the ineffectiveness of the French army and the national security forces in countering terrorism, which led to "the more counter-terrorism there is."
After entering Niger from Burkina Faso on the 26th, the convoy was blocked by Nigerians.
The convoy had to spend the night in the town of Terra, not far from the border, and was able to leave the next morning and head towards Niamey, the capital of Niger.
French spokesman Pascal Yanni said that the convoy had more than 100 vehicles, including armored vehicles and supply trucks. About 1,000 demonstrators rioted in Terra, during which a violent organization tried to looting truck supplies.
Yanni said that French soldiers and Niger police fired warning shots to disperse the crowd.
He did not confirm the number of deaths and injuries announced by the Niger government, only that the soldiers were not injured, two convoy drivers were injured by stones thrown by the demonstrators, and some trucks were damaged.
Some rumors spread on social media that the French army shot and killed dozens of civilians in Terra.
Yanni refuted this statement as "fake news."
In August 2014, France launched a "Crescent Sand Dune" military operation in the Sahel region, sending about 5,000 soldiers to cooperate with regional countries Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger to combat terrorist organizations.
These five countries were once French colonies.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced in June this year that France will significantly reduce its military deployment in the Sahel and plans to withdraw 2,000 soldiers before the beginning of next year.
According to media analysis, Macron's decision was mainly due to the limited results of the "Crescent Sand Dune" operation and the French "disappointment" over the turmoil in Mali.
The Sahel region, especially the border zone between Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, is often attacked by extremist organizations loyal to Al Qaeda.