France will end its military presence in Niger. French President Emmanuel Macron said this on Sunday in an interview with the channels TF1 and France 2 announced. In addition, the French ambassador will be removed from his station in the Nigerien capital Niamey in “the coming hours.” The decision is the outcome of an increasingly cold relationship that France has maintained with its former colony since a group of soldiers seized power there in July. Earlier on Sunday, the new military regime that overthrew democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum in a coup announced that it would ban French aircraft from its airspace.
For Macron, the withdrawal of the French soldiers means the “end of military cooperation with Niger.” According to him, the 1,500 soldiers currently stationed in Niger should have left the country by the end of this year. Earlier this month, Macron expressed his concerns about the condition of the French ambassador and several diplomats in Niger. The ambassador, Sylvain Itté, is said to be “hostage” in his office by the Nigerien regime and barely given anything to eat. Shortly after the coup, the new Nigerien rulers presented France with an ultimatum to recall its ambassador within 48 hours. Macron did not respond to this at the time.
No French flights
Nigerien authorities issued a message on Saturday through the African Aviation Safety Agency (Asecna) stressing that all national and international commercial flights remain permitted “with the exception of French aircraft or aircraft chartered by France.” The communication specifically mentioned the airline Air France, which connects many European cities with African countries.
According to the French news agency AFP, Air France currently has no flights flying over Nigerien airspace due to the political unrest in the country. The French company flew to Niamey four times a week before the coup. Earlier this month, the incumbent rulers in Niger reopened their airspace for commercial flights after almost a month. The airspace will remain closed to military flights unless the authorities give permission.
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