Emmanuel Macron has rejected a demand from Niger’s military junta to recall the French ambassador a month after a coup destroyed relations between the two former allies.
(Bloomberg) — Emmanuel Macron has rejected a demand from Niger’s military junta to recall the French ambassador a month after a coup destroyed relations between the two former allies.
In his annual speech to the country’s senior diplomats, Macron paid homage to the French ambassador in the capital, Niamey, “who is staying put, despite the pressure” and “illegitimate declarations of authority” by Niger’s military leadership.
His comments came after a 48-hour deadline the junta imposed for Ambassador Sylvain Itte to return to Paris expired on Sunday.
Read more: What’s Driving Coups in Niger and Across West Africa?: QuickTake
Macron did not address the Sept. 3 deadline that the junta has given for France’s 1,500 troops stationed in Niger to cease operations. His speech came as protesters gathered in front of the French army base in Niamey, as they had throughout the weekend.
Tensions between Niger and its ex-colonial power have grown since the junta ousted President Mohamed Bazoum in a July 26 coup and severed military ties with France. Macron has said he would back the Economic Community of West African States if it decides to use force to restore democracy — though the regional bloc has backed off the threat and said diplomacy is its priority.
“We don’t recognize putschists. We support a president who hasn’t resigned,” he said. “If Ecowas abandons President Bazoum, I think that all the presidents across the region are more or less aware of the fate that awaits them.”
While he acknowledged criticism from Washington and “European capitals” urging caution, “our policy is the right one,” he said. The ambassador in Niamey and its staff were listening to his speech from their posting, he added.
Beyond Francafrique
The French leader has pledged to recalibrate France’s presence in Africa, where it’s facing a growing backlash over the influence it still wields in some of its former colonies. France has for the past decade led a losing fight against jihadist groups in West Africa’s Sahel region, which have killed thousands and displaced millions.
French troops first entered Mali in 2013 because the government “asked us to intervene, because they were simply being split in two,” Macron said. “If France had not intervened, if our soldiers had not fallen on the battlefield in Africa,” he added, the borders of Niger and its neighbors Mali and Burkina Faso would not exist as they do today.
Niger has been France’s most important ally in the region after it fell out with military juntas in Burkina Faso and Mali. The three countries have seen their security situations deteriorate precipitously over the past decade.
Earlier this month, Niger’s self-declared military leader Abdourahamane Tiani announced a three-year transition to democracy. Mali and Burkina Faso have pledged to defend the junta if it Ecowas makes good on its threat to use force to restore democracy.
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