Current:Home > InvestPresident Macron says France will end its military presence in Niger and pull ambassador after coup-LoTradeCoin
President Macron says France will end its military presence in Niger and pull ambassador after coup
View Date:2024-12-23 20:49:57
PARIS (AP) — President Emmanuel Macron announced Sunday that France will end its military presence in Niger and pull its ambassador out of the country after its democratically elected president was deposed in a coup.
The announcement is a significant, if predicted, blow to France’s policy in Africa, after French troops pulled out of neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso in recent years after coups there. France had stationed thousands of troops in the region at the request of African leaders to fight jihadist groups.
France has maintained some 1,500 troops in Niger since the July coup, and had repeatedly refused an order by the new junta for its ambassador to leave, saying that France didn’t recognize the coup leaders as legitimate.
Tensions between France and Niger, a former French colony, have mounted in recent weeks, and Macron said recently that diplomats were surviving on military rations as they holed up in the embassy.
In an interview with France-2 television, Macron said that he spoke Sunday to ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, and told him that “France has decided to bring back its ambassador, and in the coming hours our ambassador and several diplomats will return to France.”
He added, “And we will put an end to our military cooperation with the Niger authorities.” He said the troops would be gradually pulled out, likely by the end of the year.
He noted that France’s military presence in Niger was in response to a request from Niger’s government at the time.
The military cooperation between France and Niger had been suspended since the coup. The junta leaders claimed that Bazoum’s government wasn’t doing enough to protect the country from the insurgency.
The junta in August gave French Ambassador Sylvain Itte 48 hours to leave. After the deadline expired without France recalling him, the coup leaders then revoked his diplomatic immunity.
The junta is now under sanctions by Western and regional African powers.
In New York on Friday, the military government that seized power in Niger accused U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of “obstructing” the West African nation’s full participation at the U.N.’s annual meeting of world leaders in order to appease France and its allies.
veryGood! (95513)
Related
- USMNT Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal Leg 1 vs. Jamaica: Live stream and TV, rosters
- The Daily Money: Want a refi? Act fast.
- Does Florida keeping Billy Napier signal how college football will handle coaching changes?
- 2025 Grammys: Cardi B, Miley Cyrus and More Stars React to Their Nominations
- Judith Jamison, a dancer both eloquent and elegant, led Ailey troupe to success over two decades
- Trapped with 54 horses for 4 days: Biltmore Estate staff fought to find water after Helene
- Outer Banks Reveals Shocking Pregnancy in Season 4
- Martha Stewart’s Ex-Husband Andy Stewart Calls Out Her Claims in Sensationalized Documentary
- Florida man’s US charges upgraded to killing his estranged wife in Spain
- Husband of missing San Antonio mom of 4 Suzanne Simpson charged with murder
Ranking
- Demure? Brain rot? Oxford announces shortlist for 2024 Word of the Year: Cast your vote
- Kentucky coal firm held in contempt again over West Virginia mine pollution
- Liam Payne’s Friend Says He “Never Abandoned” Him After 3 People Are Charged in Connection to Case
- Winter storm smacks New Mexico, could dump several feet of snow
- 'SNL' stars jokingly declare support for Trump, Dana Carvey plays Elon Musk
- George Lopez Debuts Shockingly Youthful Makeover in Hilarious Lopez vs Lopez Preview
- Police search for missing mother who vanished in Wylie, Texas without phone or car
- New York Post journalist Martha Stewart declared dead claps back in fiery column: 'So petty and abusive'
Recommendation
-
Lunchables get early dismissal: Kraft Heinz pulls the iconic snack from school lunches
-
Llamas on the loose on Utah train tracks after escaping owner
-
NYPD searching for gunman who shot man in Upper West Side, fled into subway tunnels
-
Video captures mountain lion in Texas backyard; wildlife department confirms sighting
-
Voters in California city reject measure allowing noncitizens to vote in local races
-
Monkeys still on the loose in South Carolina as authorities scramble to recapture them
-
Taylor Swift’s Historic 2025 Grammy Nominations Prove She’s Anything But a Tortured Poet
-
'Anora' movie review: Mikey Madison comes into her own with saucy Cinderella story