Niger junta orders expulsion of French ambassador
The military junta that seized power in Niger after a coup d'état ordered the police on Thursday to "proceed with the expulsion" of the French ambassador. The diplomat was declared persona non grata on August 26 and was given a 48-hour deadline to leave Niger, but he did not comply and remains in post, according to Reuters and EFE news agencies, cited by Digi24.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Niamey informed the French Foreign Ministry in a note dated August 29 that the state of Niger has withdrawn the visa of French Ambassador Sylvain Itté and his family, therefore the diplomat "no longer enjoys the immunities and privileges that derive from his status as a member of the diplomatic corps" and must leave Niger.
The new authorities in Niger communicated to France on August 26 that, following "hostile actions against the interests of Niger" carried out by the government in Paris, the French ambassador in Niamey was declared persona non grata and must leave Niger within 48 hours.
This deadline expired on Monday, when French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated his support for Niger's pro-Western President Mohamed Bazoum, who was ousted from power by the coup, and said that, despite the expulsion, the French ambassador to Niger would remain in post.
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said on Thursday that those who took power in Niger have "no authority" to demand the departure of the French ambassador.
Niger, one of the poorest countries in the world, but strategically important for its uranium reserves, was until the coup one of the last partners of the United States and the European Union in the Sahel region, where jihadist groups are active.
Former colonial power France and the United States together have around 2,500 troops in Niger and are doing everything possible not to lose influence in this region where the military leaderships of neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso have become closer to Russia.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
