The junta in Niger has ordered the police to forcibly expel French Ambassador Sylvain Itte from the country. This move comes amid diplomatic tensions between the junta and France.
On August 25, Niger’s foreign ministry announced that Ambassador Itte had 48 hours to leave the country. The ministry cited his refusal to meet with the new rulers and alleged actions by the French government that were “contrary to the interests of Niger.”
French President Emmanuel Macron has consistently condemned the coup in Niger and expressed support for President Mohamed Bazoum, who was democratically elected and has refused to resign. Macron emphasized that Bazoum’s refusal to step down demonstrated courage.
In response to the junta’s pressure, Macron stated on Monday that the French ambassador would remain in Niger. This decision was reaffirmed by France despite the junta’s actions.
The junta in Niger has now canceled the visas of the French ambassador and his family and instructed the police to expel him from the country. This latest development was conveyed in a communique from Niger’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which stated that Ambassador Itte “no longer enjoys the privileges and immunities attached to his status as a member of the diplomatic staff of the embassy.”
The document also indicated that the diplomatic cards and visas of the ambassador’s family members had been canceled.
Since the junta ousted Niger’s democratically elected President Bazoum, it has leveraged anti-French sentiment among the population to consolidate its support. The regional bloc, ECOWAS, has deployed a “standby” force with the mandate to facilitate the return of Niger to constitutional rule. However, this force has not yet entered Niger, and ECOWAS has made it clear that the door to dialogue remains open but won’t remain so indefinitely.
The junta has appointed a new government and pledged to return Niger to the constitutional system of governance within three years, a timeline that ECOWAS has rejected. The situation continues to evolve, with diplomatic tensions between Niger’s junta and France at the center of the crisis.
