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The West African nation of Niger’s junta, which seized power on July 26 after a coup, declared on Friday that it had ordered French ambassador Sylvain Itte to leave the country within 48 hours as relations between the two nations continued to deteriorate.
The military takeover in Niger occurred at a period of rising anti-French sentiment, similar to recent coups in the neighboring countries of Burkina Faso and Mali, with some people accusing France of meddling in their internal affairs.
According to a statement from the junta’s newly established foreign ministry, the decision to expel the ambassador was made in response to activities by the French government that were “contrary to the interests of Niger.”
One of them, according to the report, was the envoy’s alleged denial of a request to talk with the new foreign minister of Niger.
A request for comment from the French foreign ministry did not immediately elicit a response.
On Friday, official-sounding statements that appeared to show Niger ordering the American and German ambassadors to leave the country in similar words to the statement regarding the French envoy were extensively circulated online.
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Niger-France Relations Strained
This was not a statement from the Niger’s foreign ministry, the U.S. State Department claimed on Friday. The U.S. government has not received any requests of this nature, it stated.
Only the French ambassador had been ordered to leave, according to sources in the junta and a Nigerien security source.
The coup has strained Niger’s ties with France, and this latest development casts more doubt on the future of collaborative military operations to quell an Islamic insurgency in the Sahel region, which is rife with strife.
After being overthrown, President Mohamed Bazoum has appealed for his reinstatement and stated that France will back ECOWAS’s efforts to undo the coup.
It has also not formally acknowledged the junta’s decision to cancel a number of military agreements with France in the beginning of August, claiming that these had been signed with Niger’s “legitimate authorities.”
The deterioration in Niger-France ties is reminiscent of post-coup developments in Mali and Burkina Faso, where French forces have been expelled and decades-long links have been severed.
As one of the top uranium producers in the world and a base for French, American, and other foreign soldiers fighting jihadist extremist organizations in the region, Niger is strategically significant.
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Source: Reuters
