Last week, the French embassy in Niger sent a letter to its staff announcing it would be shutting its doors and ending diplomatic services in the West African country. Simultaneously, the last set of French troops in the country boarded flights out from Niamey.
The letter marked the final straw in France’s long tumble from grace in Africa as relations with its former colonies – collectively known as “Francafrique” – deteriorated to a new low this year.
