The statements by President Emmanuel Macron took place this Monday, August 28, after last Friday the military junta, which leads Niger after the coup d’état on July 26, ordered the expulsion of the French diplomat Syvain Itté and gave him a deadline 48 hours to leave the country. Macron confirmed that his government will not comply with the guidelines of “illegal” authorities and reaffirmed his support for the ousted president Mohamed Bazoum, who continues to be detained by the military.
France defies Niger’s military junta and keeps its ambassador in Niamey. This was stated by President Emmanuel Macron this Monday, August 28, during the annual conference of ambassadors in Paris, in which he outlined his government’s foreign policy priorities.
“I think our policy is correct. It is based on the courage of President (Mohamed) Bazoum and on the commitments of our ambassador on the ground, who remains despite all the pressures, despite all the statements made by the illegitimate authorities,” said the French president.
His statements come after last Friday, August 25, the Nigerien coup leaders ordered the expulsion of the French ambassador Syvain Itté and gave him 48 hours to leave the country. A measure that shortly after was extended to the heads of diplomacy from the United States and Germany, in Niamey.
The Army – which perpetrated the coup d’état on July 26, from which time it has also held Bazoum in custody – justified that its decision was due to the “refusal of the ambassador (…) to respond to an invitation” from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to meet with him, as well as for the actions of Paris, “contrary to the interests of Niger”.
Macron made it clear this Monday that his Administration will not follow orders from authorities that are not legitimately constituted and that only recognizes Bazoumdemocratically elected leader.
“We do not recognize those who carried out the coup d’état, we support a president who has not resigned and with whom we remain committed,” reiterated the Elysee leader.
Macron supports an eventual military intervention by ECOWAS in Niger
The French president went further when he pointed out that although he supports diplomatic actions by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to restore democratic order in Niger, he will also support eventual military action if the bloc so decides. regional.
“Our policy is simple: we do not recognize the coup plotters, we support the president who has not resigned, and we promise to be by his side. We support the diplomatic effort of ECOWAS and the military action when it is approved, within the framework of the association,” Macron said.
Since the overthrow of Bazoum, ECOWAS warns that it will act through military means “if all else fails”, as stated by the organization’s Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Abdel-Fatau Musah, on August 17, during a summit on the crisis in Niger.
In fact, at the end of July the West African organization gave a six-day ultimatum to reinstate President Bazoum or else use force.
Although the organization later qualified when pointing out that it gives priority to the diplomatic channel, it constantly points out that it does not rule out an armed intervention.
Amid the warnings, the Nigerian junta is challenging to stay in power and is appealing for the support of neighboring nations, also led by the military who have seized power by force in recent years. Last Thursday, August 24, the coup leaders who overthrew Bazoum authorized the armies of Burkina Faso and Mali to intervene on the ground in the event of an “aggression”.
But tensions over possible military action go beyond African borders. Last week, Algeria took aim at France when the state-run Radio Algeria, which operates in several languages and manages an international edition, reported that its country’s authorities had rejected “a French request to open its airspace for a military intervention in Niger.”
According to the accusation, after the alleged refusal of Algeria, France would have turned to Morocco, a country that would have accepted the request.
But categorically, the French Army rejected the claims coming from Algeria. A high military command in Paris, quoted by the French newspaper ‘Le Figaro’said that “there is absolutely no intention to attack Niger” and that his country has not submitted in recent days any request for “authorization” for a military flight.
Anti-French sentiment grows
Like the recent coups in Burkina Faso and Mali, Niger’s takeover by force came against a backdrop of rising anti-French sentiment, with some residents accusing Paris of interfering in their affairs.
And it is that Niger was key in the alliance with the Westerners to fight against jihadist violence, which has increased in the area with the presence of groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the self-styled Islamic State.
The Nigerian territory, which was a French colony, was until recently considered the only democracy left in the Sahel belt. Following consecutive coups in recent years, every country in that region, from Sudan to Guinea, came under the control of military juntas.
Indeed, France earlier this year moved around 1,500 troops to Niger after it was forced to withdraw them from neighboring Mali.
But many Nigerien citizens continue to see these cooperations as actions of interference that, they demand, be finished.
On Sunday, hundreds of people burned French flags again in the vicinity of the military base that the European nation maintains near the airport, in Niamey, where French air troops have been installed since 2013.
The coup leaders demand that the Macron Administration withdraw the soldiers it maintains in that territory. However, Paris refuses, pointing out that such a demand can only be made by the legitimate Nigerian government.
A struggle between two positions that promises to increase tensions, just when a possible military intervention by ECOWAS is still on the table.
With Reuters and AP
#Macron #French #ambassador #remain #Niger #pressure