Dar es Salaam, March 18 -- NIGER: Niger has withdrawn from the global French-speaking group the International Organization of Francophone Nations (OIF), amid continuing efforts to sever ties with its former colonial power, France.

The West African countrys foreign ministry announced the decision on Monday.

“The Nigerien government has independently decided to withdraw Niger from the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie,” the ministry said in a statement posted on X. While rationale for the decision was provided, the move comes more than a year after the military authorities in Niamey suspended all cooperation with the Paris-based organization, accusing it of being a political tool for defending French interest...