The French Ambassador to Niger is allegedly living in captivity in the French embassy, according to President Emmanuel Macron, who also charged military leaders with obstructing food deliveries to the mission.
According to Macron, the ambassador is surviving solely on “military rations” and was speaking to media in the eastern town of Semur-en-Auxois on Friday.
“As we speak, we have an ambassador and diplomatic staff who are literally being held hostage in the French embassy,” he said.
“They are preventing food deliveries,” he said, in an apparent reference to Niger’s new military rulers. “He is eating military rations.”
Niger’s military leaders had initially instructed French ambassador Sylvain Itte to leave the country following the overthrow of President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26. However, despite a 48-hour ultimatum issued in August, the French government refused to comply and did not recognize the legitimacy of the military government.
France, along with most of Niger’s neighbors, condemned the coup.
President Emmanuel Macron stated that the French ambassador “cannot go out, he is persona non grata, and he is being refused food.” When asked whether France would consider recalling the ambassador, Macron indicated that any decision would be made in coordination with President Bazoum, whom he considers the legitimate authority and communicates with daily.
France maintains approximately 1,500 troops in Niger and has emphasized that any redeployment would need to be negotiated with President Bazoum.
The new leaders of Niger have terminated military cooperation agreements with France and have requested the swift departure of French troops.
Macron has consistently rejected calls to withdraw the French ambassador, a position supported by the European Union (EU), which has described the demand as “a provocation.” Like France, the EU does not recognize the authorities that took power in Niger.
The Sahel region, located south of the Sahara, has experienced a series of coups in recent years, with military regimes replacing elected governments in countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Niger, prompting concerns and responses from regional and international actors.
Last week, Colonel Amadou Abdramane, a spokesperson for Niger’s coup leaders, accused France of amassing forces and equipment in West African countries, potentially for a “military intervention” against Niamey.
Niger is also in a standoff with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which has threatened military intervention if diplomatic efforts to reinstate President Bazoum are unsuccessful.