France’s ambassador to Niger, Sylvain Itté, has been declared persona non grata by the country’s leadership, according to international media.
On Friday, August 25th, the diplomat, who had been in the role since September 2022, was given 48 hours to leave the country.
Earlier, Agence France Press mistakenly reported that the ambassadors of the U.S., Germany, Ghana and Nigeria had faced similar expulsions, which Niger’s foreign ministry later denied in a clarification.
The junta, which deposed the democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum in late July, gave several reasons for expelling the ambassador.
He was said to be responsible for actions “contrary to Niger’s interests” and allegedly refused to meet with the African country’s newly appointed foreign minister.
Whether the French ambassador will actually make his exit is yet unclear.
In response, the French foreign ministry let it be known that it had “taken note of the putschists’ request,” but that they “do not have the authority to make it,” since the ambassador’s approval “comes solely from the legitimate elected Nigerien authorities.”
Deposed President Bazoum, held under house arrest ever since his ouster, was a close ally of France (and by extension the EU) in the fight against Islamic jihadism in the Sahel region. At present, the country still has some 1,500 military personnel stationed there.
In addition, its richness in uranium (Niger supplies 15% of France’s uranium) made it a valued trading partner.
Anti-French sentiment had been on the rise for a while in the former French colony. Following the coup, supporters of the new regime took to the streets on multiple occasions to protest what they deem to be modern-day French (and more broadly, Western) colonialism.
In response, the European Union cut off all development aid, and ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) imposed heavy economic sanctions while threatening military intervention.
Earlier this month, the African Union suspended Niger’s membership.
