THE Emmanuel Macron stated that the France will withdraw its ambassador “in the coming hours” and end all military cooperation with him Niger after the coup.
He added that “military cooperation has ended” and French troops would leave “in the coming months”. Macron also said France “will not be held hostage by the coup plotters”, speaking on French TV channels TF1 and France 2.
The decision comes after months of hostility and protests against the French presence in the country, with regular demonstrations in the capital Niamey while there are about 1,500 French troops in Niger.
It is recalled that a military junta seized Niger on July 26, ousting President Mohamed Bazum.
The French president said he still considered Mr Bazum, currently held captive by the coup plotters, as the country’s “only legitimate authority” and had informed him of his decision. He called the ousted president a “hostage”.
“He was the target of this coup because he made bold reforms and because there was a lot of ethnic settling of scores and a lot of political cowardice,” he said.
Niger’s military leaders told the French ambassador Sylvain Itte he had to leave the country after they ousted Mr Bazoum on July 26.
Emmanuel Macron’s statement also comes hours after Niger’s coup leaders banned “French aircraft” from flying over the country.
The regional air safety organization, ASECNA, said that Niger’s airspace was open to all national and international commercial flights except French aircraft or aircraft chartered by Franceincluding those of Air France.
The airspace will remain closed to “all military, operational and other special flights” unless prior permission is obtained, the message said.
Air France told the AFP news agency it was “not flying over Niger airspace”.
Source: News Beast
With 6 years of experience, I bring to the table captivating and informative writing in the world news category. My expertise covers a range of industries, including tourism, technology, forex and stocks. From brief social media posts to in-depth articles, I am dedicated to creating compelling content for various platforms.
