The French ambassador has been given 48 hours to leave Niger by the military authorities that took over Niamey on July 26, according to a statement released on Friday by the nation’s foreign affairs ministry.
In response to “other actions of the French government contrary to the interests of Niger” and “the refusal of the French ambassador in Niamey to respond to an invitation” from the minister for a meeting on Friday, the authorities have decided to revoke Sylvain Itte’s approval and demand that he leave within 48 hours, according to the statement.
This choice comes after a string of anti-French remarks and protests since the Nigerien army deposed President Mohamed Bazoum, who is currently being held in detention alongside his family.
The military chiefs assert that France, a former regional colonial power, wants to militarily engage in the country in order to restore Bazoum and that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is a group in France’s back pocket.
Following the coup, ECOWAS imposed severe economic sanctions on Niger and threatened to use force to reestablish constitutional order.
In order to assist in battling the terrorist organizations that have long plagued both Niger and the larger Sahel region, France has about 1,500 troops stationed there.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
