France forced to close embassy in former colony – Reuters
The French government intends to shutter its embassy in Niger indefinitely, Reuters reported on Thursday. According to a letter from the embassy to its staff which was seen by the news agency, the restrictions imposed by the military government mean the mission can no longer carry out its diplomatic duties.
The letter was dated Tuesday but surfaced on social media two days later. According to the document, which was written in French, the Nigerien authorities have rejected the embassy’s request to operate under regular conditions.
When contacted by Reuters, the French government neither confirmed nor denied the letter’s authenticity. Paris acknowledged that the situation at the embassy has “grown difficult” since this summer, however.
A group of Nigerien army officers ousted President Mohamed Bazoum at the end of July, accusing him of failure in the war against Islamist terrorists in the Sahel. Within weeks, the new government in Niamey declared the French ambassador persona non grata and demanded the withdrawal of 1,500 troops Paris had kept in the former colony.
Ambassador Sylvain Itte initially refused to leave, arguing that the military government was not legitimate and that he would only deal with Bazoum. Niamey responded by blockading the embassy, leading French President Emmanuel Macron to complain that the diplomat was being “held hostage” and reduced to eating military rations.
Itte ended up leaving at the end of September. The French troops followed suit two weeks later.
Several of Niger’s neighbors from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have threatened to send troops to restore Bazoum, but never made good on the threat. The military governments in Mali and Burkina Faso have sided with Niamey, however, and said they would treat any attack on Niger as a declaration of war against them as well.
ECOWAS eventually declared it would “resume talks” with Niger and gradually lift the sanctions it had imposed on Niamey.
Within days of his ouster, Bazoum published an op-ed in the Washington Post, calling on the US to intervene and “restore democracy.” The call apparently fell on deaf ears. Last week, the US announced it would resume “security and development cooperation” with Niger, after the government in Niamey signed a memorandum of understanding on defense cooperation with Russia.
