France recognizes that its military can no longer carry out its missions in Niger

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of France, Catherine Colonna, acknowledged in an interview published this Sunday in the newspaper Le Monde that the French military cannot “de facto” carry out its missions in Niger after the coup d’état at the end of July.

Asked if it is possible to maintain the French contingent in the African nation after the military junta has demanded its withdrawal, Colonna recalled that Paris sent its soldiers at the request of the previous authorities in Niger to promote the fight against terrorist groups and train to local formations. “Today, this mission can no longer be carried out, since we no longer have de facto operations carried out jointly with the Nigerien armed forces,” she explained.

At the same time, the chancellor expressed confidence that the French ambassador, Sylvain Itte, deprived of diplomatic immunity by the Nigerien junta, will be able to continue carrying out his duties. «We do not have to bow to the mandates of a minister who has no legitimacy, neither for the countries of the subregion, nor for the African Union, nor for the United Nations, nor for France. That’s why we keep our ambassador. “We are making sure that he can safely face the pressure of the coup plotters,” she stressed.

On the other hand, the head of French diplomacy did not give a definitive answer about whether her country’s policy in relation to Niger is in a “dead end”, and reiterated that her Government condemns the military coup and urges restitution of the ousted president, Mohamed Bazoum. In this context, she highlighted the efforts of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which are reflected in economic sanctions or the possibility of military intervention in Niger, to guarantee the return of the elected leader.

Likewise, Colonna stated that the era of the so-called ‘Francafrica’, a term with which Paris’s strategy to defend its interests in the former colonies is usually described, “died a long time ago.” In this way, he echoed statements in this regard by President Emmanuel Macron made during his tour of Africa. Then, the president indicated that his country chooses to be “a neutral interlocutor” in the region and does not intend to find a way to “interfere in the internal political exchanges” of the continent.

The demand by the self-proclaimed National Council for the Defense of the Fatherland (CNSP) for the French contingent, estimated at around 1,500 troops, to leave Niger’s territory reflects the growing anti-French sentiment in this nation. This translates into a wave of mass demonstrations demanding the end of the military presence in Paris. With RT

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