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Emmanuel Macron has mentioned France will withdraw its ambassador and finish all navy cooperation with Niger following a coup.
“France has determined to withdraw its ambassador. Within the subsequent hours our ambassador and several other diplomats will return to France,” the president mentioned.
He added that navy cooperation was “over” and French troops would go away in “the months to return”.
A navy junta seized Niger on July 26, deposing President Mohamed Bazoum.
The choice follows months of animosity and protests towards the French presence within the nation, with common demonstrations within the capital Niamy.
The transfer offers a hammer blow to France’s counter-terrorism operations within the Sahel and France’s affect within the area, however Mr Macron mentioned France would “not be held hostage by the putschists”, chatting with France’s TF1 and France 2 tv stations.
There are round 1,500 French troopers in Niger.
The French president mentioned that he nonetheless regarded Mr Bazoum, at the moment held prisoner by the coup leaders, because the nation’s “sole reputable authority” and had knowledgeable him of his determination. He described the deposed president as a “hostage”.
“He was focused by this coup d’etat as a result of he was finishing up brave reforms and since there was a largely ethnic settling of scores and plenty of political cowardice,” he mentioned.
Niger’s navy leaders informed French ambassador Sylvain Itte he needed to depart the nation after they overthrew Mr Bazoum on July 26.
Nonetheless, a 48-hour ultimatum for him to go away, issued in August, handed with him nonetheless in place because the French authorities refused to conform, or to recognise the navy regime as reputable.
Mr Macron’s assertion additionally comes hours after Niger’s coup leaders banned “French plane” from flying over the nation.
The regional air security organisation, ASECNA, mentioned that Niger’s airspace was “open to all nationwide and worldwide business flights apart from French plane or plane chartered by France together with these of the airline Air France”.
The air area would stay closed for “all navy, operational and different particular flights”, until receiving prior authorisation, the message mentioned.
Air France informed the AFP information company merely that it was “not flying over Niger airspace”.
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