The current evacuation of French nationals is quite likely to be followed by the abandonment of US and French military bases and the departure of their 2,500 troops that have been engaged in helping Niger fight jihadist insurgents.

So who benefits from all this? Certainly not the population of Niger.

The presence of Western forces was far from universally popular but the country was receiving hundreds of millions of euros in annual financial aid and military assistance. That has now stopped.

Russian flags have appeared on the streets suspiciously quickly, so it is likely that Russia's Wagner mercenary group will be looking to fill in behind the departing troops.

And for the jihadists of Boko Haram and the al-Qaeda and Islamic State groups active across the Sahel, all this disruption and uncertainty is a strategic gift.