APA – Niamey (Niger) – Tensions have been rising between Niamey and Paris since the army overthrew Mohamed Bazoum’s regime in Niger on July 27, 2023.
On Wednesday 9 August, the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP), the body that presides over the destiny of the country, made a new accusation against France.
According to the new authorities in Niamey, France is using every possible means to destabilize Niger. They accuse France of having carried out an operation that led to the release of terrorists taken prisoner by Nigerien forces and of again violating its airspace, which is closed to traffic.
Paris’ response
For the Quai d’Orsay (French Foreign Affairs Ministry) and the Ministry of Defense, these new accusations are unfounded. The government argues that “these statements against France constitute a new attempt at diversion, at a time when ECOWAS is stepping up its mediation efforts to restore constitutional order in Niger.”
With regard to the flight over Niger on August 9, the French government argues that the flight was the subject of prior agreement and technical coordination with Nigerien forces, insisting that Paris had “authorization in writing.”
“No attack against any Niger barracks has taken place. No terrorist has been released by the French forces, who have been fighting this scourge for many years in the Sahel, risking the lives of their soldiers,” the press release concludes.
The day after the coup d’Etat against Mohamed Bazoum, France suspended its development aid and support for Niger’s budget. A windfall estimated at over €100 million. In response, the new authorities in Niamey denounced the military agreements and protocols with Paris, which had made Niger the laboratory for the French Forces in the Sahel (FFS), a new incarnation of its presence in this part of the world, after Paris withdrew its Barkhane Forces from Mali.
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