Niger’s junta accused France on Sunday of deploying troops in various West African nations in preparation for a future military intervention alongside the regional body ECOWAS.
The junta also reiterated its call for French troops to leave its country in a communiqué read on state television overnight, a key source of friction between the former allies since the July 26 ousting of President Mohamed Bazoum.
The statement urged “national and international opinion to witness the consequences of France’s aggressive, underhanded, and contemptuous attitude.”
Since Paris pronounced the junta illegitimate, relations between Niger and its former colonizer, France, have deteriorated. The coup’s leaders have also adopted the pattern of juntas in neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso in aiming to terminate long-standing military links with France in the region’s fight against Islamist insurgencies.
When asked about the junta’s new remarks, French President Emmanuel Macron stated, “We do not recognize any legitimacy in the putschists’ statements.”
Concerning the 1,500 French troops stationed in Niger, Macron stated that any decision on their deployment would be taken in consultation with Bazoum.
“If we ever redeploy, I would only do so at the request of President Bazoum,” Macron said at a news conference at the end of a two-day G20 summit in India.
He made no direct reference to the allegation that France was deploying troops elsewhere in West Africa as part of a regional strategy to use force as a last resort to restore democracy.
The biggest regional grouping, ECOWAS, has imposed sanctions on Niger and prepared a so-called standby force in preparation for a future military intervention; however, discussions to find a diplomatic solution are ongoing.
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu, who currently holds the revolving chairmanship of ECOWAS, has proposed that a nine-month transition back to civilian leadership would satisfy regional powers. The junta in Niger has previously recommended a three-year schedule.
