Thousands turned out again on Saturday in Niger’s southwestern city of Niamey and Walem to demand his departure. French forces from AFor the country, repeated the demand of the military regime that later took over A military coup On July 26.
The movement was organized in the capital, near a military base where French troops are stationed, at the invitation of several civil society coalitions opposed to the French military presence in Niger. “French army, get out of our country!”, one of the demonstrators shouted. He was carrying a sign.
Later in the afternoon, another crowd joined the demonstrators who had gathered on Saturday morning, forming a dense crowd at the “Esqatiri” roundabout, one of the main places for these gatherings, which Niamey saw after the military coup against President Mohamed Bassoum.
“French soldiers… we don’t need you anymore.”
According to footage broadcast on national television, another demonstration took place in Vallam (Southwest) in front of the military base, the headquarters of “Operation Mahao” to fight terrorism, involving Nigerian and French soldiers. One of the demonstrators said over a loudspeaker: “French soldiers, we have come to bring you a message and to tell you that we no longer need you.”
Diplomatic tensions reached a peak between Niger and the ruling military regime in Paris, which did not recognize its legitimacy.
On August 3, the military junta announced the cancellation of several military agreements concluded with former colonial power France, particularly regarding the deployment of the French brigade, which stationed 1,500 soldiers in Niger to participate in the fight against terrorism and extremist groups.
All the agreements include different deadlines, one of which relates to the pre-2012 text, which according to the military is no longer than a month.
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In late August, in a speech to a crowd in Niamey, a member of the military junta, Colonel Ebro Amato, said “the struggle will not stop until the day there is not a single French soldier in Niger.”
Raising the ambassador’s immunity and calling him out
Niger has revoked diplomatic immunity and a visa from French ambassador Sylvain Éte and asked him to leave the country, according to an Interior Ministry order issued Thursday and a Supreme Court ruling in Nyami on Friday.
Both of these decisions are justified by the military regime, especially because it considers France’s “unreasonable hostility” towards Niger, and the presence of Eteh on its territory, according to the coup d’état, “a great risk of disturbing public order”.
Read moreMacron has strongly condemned the coup in Niger, calling it “dangerous” for the Sahel region.
On the other hand, French President Emmanuel Macron praised Eteh’s work on Monday, noting that he is still at the embassy headquarters in Niamey.
Article 22 of the Vienna Convention on the Regulation of Diplomatic Relations states that consular buildings are “protected” and that personnel of the host country “may not enter them except with the consent of the head of mission”.
France 24/AFP
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