The French government has reinstated its support for ECOWAS in the efforts of the regional body to end the coup in Niger. President Emmanuel in his speech to ambassadors in Paris commended the French envoy to Niger as she remained deviant after she was expelled by the military junta…
Despite being given a 48-hour deadline to leave Niger last Friday, the French ambassador to the embattled West African country has remained in the nation, President Emmanuel Macron said in a heated statement.
The French ambassador was compelled to leave as diplomatic relations deteriorated significantly.
However, hours after the deadline set by the coup leaders had passed, the president declared he “applauds” the ambassador for defying the order of the coup plotters.
Mr Macron said in a major foreign policy speech to ambassadors gathered in Paris that “France and its diplomats have faced particularly difficult situations in some countries in recent months, from Sudan, where France has been exemplary, to Niger at this very moment,”.
He justified France’s military presence in Niger, declaring that the country would “no longer exist” with its “existing borders” if Paris did not intervene.
Without France, Mali and Burkina Faso would have faced the same fate, the French leader also said.
Reports say water and electricity to the French Embassy in the capital Niamey, have been cut off with no food deliveries allowed.
France has demanded that President Mohamed Bazoum be reinstated and has stated that it will assist attempts by the West African regional body ECOWAS to overthrow the coup.
These positions have infuriated the Abdourahmane Tchiani-led junta.
While responding to the expulsion, the French foreign ministry said the coup leaders do not have the authority to remove its diplomat, saying the ambassador’s approval came solely from the legitimate elected Nigerien authorities.
By xamse
August 29, 2023
