NIAMEY: Niger\u2019s junta, which seized power in a coup on July 26, said on Friday it had ordered French ambassador Sylvain Itte to leave the country within 48 hours, as relations between the West African country and its former colonial ruler deteriorated further.<\/p>\n
Like recent coups in neighboring Burkina Faso and Mali, the military takeover in Niger came amid a growing wave of anti-French sentiment, with some locals accusing the European country of interfering in their affairs.<\/p>\n
In a statement, the junta-appointed foreign ministry said the decision to expel the ambassador was a response to actions taken by the French government that were \u201ccontrary to the interests of Niger.\u201d<\/p>\n
It said these included the envoy\u2019s refusal to respond to an invitation to meet Niger\u2019s new foreign minister.<\/p>\n
The French foreign ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment.<\/p>\n
The US State Department on Friday said Niger had informed it this had not been issued by its foreign ministry. \u201cNo such request has been made to the US government,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n
The United States has been pressing for a diplomatic resolution of the crisis that erupted on July 26 when Niger military officers seized power, deposed President Mohamed Bazoum and placed him under house arrest.<\/p>\n
The new US Ambassador to Niger Kathleen Fitzgibbons only arrived in the capital, Niamey, earlier this month.<\/p>\n
A source in the junta and a Nigerien security source said only the French ambassador had been asked to leave.<\/p>\n
The ultimatum against the French envoy was quickly rejected by Paris, which repeated that it did not recognize the military rulers\u2019 authority, according to a report by AFP.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe putschists do not have the authority to make this request, the ambassador\u2019s approval coming solely from the legitimate elected Nigerien authorities,\u201d the AFP report quoted the French foreign ministry as saying on Friday.<\/p>\n
The coup has pushed Niger\u2019s long-standing relationship with France to breaking-point and this latest move raises further doubts about the future of joint military efforts to fight an Islamist insurgency in the conflict-torn Sahel region.<\/p>\n
France has called for President Mohamed Bazoum to be returned to office following his ouster and has said it would support efforts by West African regional bloc ECOWAS to overturn the coup.<\/p>\n
Protesters gather in front of the French Embassy in Niamey during a demonstration that followed a rally in support of Niger’s junta in Niamey on July 30, 2023. France has said it does not recognize the authority of the military junta that grabbed power. (AFP file)
\nIt has also not officially recognized a decision by the junta in early August to revoke a raft of military agreements with France, saying these had been signed with Niger\u2019s \u201clegitimate authorities.\u201d<\/p>\n
The deterioration in Niger-France relations echoes post-coup developments in Mali and Burkina Faso, which have booted out French forces and severed long-standing ties.<\/p>\n
France has 1,500 soldiers based in Niger who had been helping Bazoum in the fight against jihadist forces that have been active in the country for years, while the United States has around a thousand military personnel in the country.<\/p>\n
Niger has strategic significance as one of the world\u2019s biggest producers of uranium and as a base for French, US and other foreign troops that are helping to fight Islamist militant groups in the region.<\/p>\n
Earlier Friday, West Africa\u2019s bloc ECOWAS urged Niger\u2019s coup leaders to reconsider their position and pushed for a return to civilian rule, with the threat of force still \u201cvery much on the table.\u201d
\nWhile the generals who ousted Bazoum have called for a three-year transition period, the Economic Community of West African States demands the immediate return to constitutional order.
\nWith delegations shuttling into Niamey, ECOWAS said negotiations remained its priority as defense chiefs prepared a standby mission for a possible \u201clegitimate use of force\u201d to restore democracy if needed.
\n\u201cEven now, it is not too late for the military to reconsider its action and listen to the voice of reason as the regional leaders will not condone a coup d\u2019etat,\u201d ECOWAS commission president Omar Alieu Touray told reporters in Abuja.
\n\u201cThe real issue is the determination of the community to halt the spiral of coup d\u2019etats in the region.\u201d
\nECOWAS has already applied sanctions against Niger to pressure the new regime.<\/p>\n
The Niger coup has heightened tensions in the Sahel region, where three other governments have fallen to military rebellions since 2020, and jihadists control swathes of territory.
\nECOWAS leaders are already negotiating with military administrations in Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea who are all working toward transitions to democracy after their own coups.
\nAfter initially balking, Niger\u2019s new rulers have said they remain open to negotiations.
\nBut they have sent mixed messages, including a threat to charge Bazoum \u2014 who remains detained at the official residence with his family \u2014 with treason.<\/p>\n
Niger\u2019s military leaders have also warned against any intervention, accusing ECOWAS of preparing an occupying force in league with an unnamed foreign country.
\nNiger on Thursday agreed with the regimes in neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso to let their troops into its territory in case of an aggression.
\nBut Touray dismissed plans for ECOWAS \u201cdeclaring war\u201d or an \u201cinvasion\u201d of Niger, insisting the standby mission would be a legitimate force allowed under ECOWAS statutes agreed by members.
\n\u201cThe instruments include the use of force. So it is very much on the table, as are other measures we are working on,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cIf peaceful means fail, ECOWAS cannot just fold its hands.\u201d
\nECOWAS has intervened militarily in past crises, including in civil wars. Few details of the new standby force have emerged.
\nBut preparations for any possible use of military force in Niger are risky and already face political resistance in northern Nigeria, a key player in ECOWAS and the region.
\nNiger\u2019s northern neighbor Algeria has also warned of disastrous consequences for the region from an intervention.
\nForeign Minister Ahmed Attaf this week toured West African countries to try to find a solution to a crisis in which Algiers firmly opposes any military option.
\n\u201cThere is a time for everything and we are currently in the time of finding peaceful solutions,\u201d he said on a visit to Benin.
\n\u201cLet\u2019s put all our imagination into giving every chance to a political solution.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NIAMEY: Niger\u2019s junta, which seized power in a coup on July 26, said on Friday it had ordered French ambassador Sylvain Itte to leave the country within 48 hours, as relations between the West African country and its former colonial ruler deteriorated further. Like recent coups in neighboring Burkina Faso and Mali, the military takeover […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":351830,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-351820","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n