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World

French president Hollande visits Niger on 3-nation tour of Africa focused on troop reshuffle

Associated Press
Published | Updated
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    French President Francois Hollande, left, sits next to Ivorian Prime Minister Daniel Kablan Duncan, right, on a boat, Thursday, July 17, 2014 on Abidjan's lagoon, Ivory Coast, where French construction company Bouygues is building a third bridge that is presented as a key project by the Ivorian government. Hollande starts a 3-day visit to Ivory Coast, Niger and Chad. (AP Photo/Alain Jocard, Pool) (The Associated Press)

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    French President Francois Hollande, right, meets with Ivorian opposition party leaders, Thursday, July 17, 2014 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Hollande began a 3-day visit to Ivory Coast, Niger and Chad on Thursday. (AP Photo/Alain Jocard, Pool) (The Associated Press)

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    French President Francois Hollande takes a boat ride , Thursday, July 17, 2014 on Abidjan's lagoon, Ivory Coast , where French construction company Bouygues is building a third bridge that is presented as a key project by the Ivorian government. Hollande began a 3-day visit to Ivory Coast, Niger and Chad on Thursday. (AP Photo/Alain Jocard, Pool) (The Associated Press)

NIAMEY, Niger – France's president is paying a visit to the former colony of Niger, a landlocked desert nation in West Africa that has played a key role in French military efforts in the region.

President Francois Hollande arrived Friday in the capital of Niamey, a day after holding economic talks with officials in Ivory Coast.

Next he heads to Chad, another former colony that will be headquarters for a newly reorganized French military presence in Africa.

The redeployment of 3,000 French troops in five of its former colonies across northwest Africa is expected to be officially announced Saturday.

The new operation — code-named "Barkhane" after a crescent-shaped dune in Sahara desert — will involve Mali, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad.