Due to restrictions imposed by the ruling junta, France is planning to close its embassy in Niger indefinitely. This was revealed in a letter sent by the French embassy to its Niger staff on Tuesday.
Niger’s relationship with its former colonial master, France, has deteriorated since July, when military officers overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum and took control of the country. In line with the tactics of juntas in Burkina Faso and neighbouring Mali, Niger demanded that French troops leave their territory and gave the police the order to remove France’s ambassador, Sylvain Itte.
After initially disobeying the directive, President Emmanuel Macron of France declared a month later that the ambassador would return to the capital and its troops would leave.
“The Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs of the French Republic is regretfully forced to close the embassy for an indefinite period of time,” according to a Dec. 19, 2023, document sent to Nigerien staff members of the French embassy.
The document, which was circulated on social media, claims that the embassy’s request to resume regular operations after the coup was met with negative response from the Nigerien government.
However, they have stated that since the summer, the embassy’s circumstances have gotten more challenging, with limitations making it more challenging to conduct business.
