PARIS, France
French President, Emmanuel Macron said Monday that France’s ambassador is staying at his post in Niger despite being asked to leave by the ruling junta, speaking out firmly against the coup leaders while insisting that France is not Niger’s enemy.
Since ousting Niger’s
democratically elected president a month ago, the junta has been exploiting grievances
among the population toward former colonial ruler France, and has turned
to Russian mercenary group Wagner for help.
Macron dismissed concerns that
standing up to the junta could be dangerous.
“Our policy is the right one.
It depends on the courage of President Mohamed Bazoum, the commitment of our
diplomats, of our ambassador on the ground who is remaining despite pressure,”
Macron told a gathering of French ambassadors in Paris.
French Ambassador Sylvain Itte was asked
to leave Niger within 48 hours in a letter Friday from the Nigerien Foreign
Ministry that accused him of ignoring an invitation for a meeting with the
ministry. The letter also cited “actions of the French government contrary to
the interests of Niger.”
France
has consistently acknowledged only the authority of Bazoum. He is still detained
by the junta, which is now under sanctions by Western and regional African
powers.
“One shouldn’t give in to the
narrative used by the coup leaders that consists of saying France has become
our enemy,” Macron said Monday.
’’The problem of Nigeriens today
is the coup leaders who put them in danger because they are abandoning the
fight against terrorism, because they are abandoning a policy that was
economically good for (the population) and they are in the process of losing
international funding that was helping them emerge from poverty.”
France has about 1,500 troops
in Niger helping local forces fight Islamic extremists. The military
cooperation has been suspended since the coup, whose leaders say Bazoum’s
government wasn’t doing enough to protect the country.
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