On December 21, France confirmed that it had closed its embassy in Niger's capital, Niamey.
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| French Embassy in Niger. (Source: France24) |
AP news agency quoted the content of a letter sent to the staff of the French Embassy in Niger stating: "The Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs of the French Republic regrets that it is forced to close the embassy for an indefinite period of time."
According to AP , French diplomatic sources confirmed the above information, and at the same time, an anonymous source stated: "The French Embassy in Niger can no longer function normally or carry out its duties."
France took this extremely rare measure after Niamey on December 12 asked Paris to withdraw all troops deployed in Niger as part of the fight against jihadists by December 22.
This is seen as a new escalation in the tense relationship between France and Niger, since a group of military generals took power in Niamey after a quick coup in July.
In the two neighboring Sahel countries of Mali and Burkina Faso, although in recent years military governments have also asked French troops to withdraw after coups, Paris has maintained its diplomatic representation.
After the July 26 coup, the Nigerien army quickly demanded that France withdraw 1,500 troops deployed to fight jihadists and cancel several military agreements signed with Paris.
On July 30, the French Embassy in Niger was attacked by protesters, while the military government established a blockade around the representative office, forcing most of the French diplomatic staff to leave.
Niger's military regime also announced the expulsion of French Ambassador Sylvain Itté in late August. France said the diplomat had been trapped in the diplomatic mission for nearly a month before leaving.
In another development, on December 19, the West African country's National Council for Homeland Defense (CNSP) said that the Niger army and the German delegation led by Defense Minister Boris Pistorius discussed resuming bilateral military cooperation.
In a post on social network X, CNSP stated: "The German Defense Minister reaffirmed Berlin's desire to continue and strengthen the military partnership with Niger. In particular, Mr. Pistorius announced that all interrupted projects will be extended from 2024."
According to Niger's Defense Minister Salifou Mody, the presence of foreign troops, including German soldiers, in the country will require meeting "new conditions", in particular, all foreign troops will be "evaluated" by the Nigerien people.
On the German side, Minister Pistorius said that the country is interested in renewing cooperation projects with Niger.
Noting that not all bridges between Berlin and Niamey were destroyed after the coup, the German official stressed that military advisers and special forces from the country remain in Niger, while German experts continue to train the West African country's army.
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