Will the French still be able to go to Niger? The question arises as several airlines serving Niamey have announced that they will no longer take French passengers to this destination. “According to the Nigerien authorities, any passenger of French nationality is no longer authorized to enter Nigerien territory. Consequently, they will no longer be accepted on our flights to this destination,” it is thus specified in an internal note from ‘Air Burkina.
In a press release published Wednesday January 31, the Burkinabe company affirms that “this note does not emanate” from it and that it “cannot be held responsible for any consequences which could result from it”. The text says nothing about the boarding or not of French nationals.
Same refrain from Royal Air Maroc (RAM), which mentions the ban on French passengers boarding towards Niamey “without special authorization from the Nigerien authorities and has been doing so for almost a week”. If Tunis Air indicated that it had not received any instructions concerning French passengers, the other companies serving Niamey – Ethiopian Airlines, Asky, Air Tunisie and Turkish Airlines – have not yet responded to AFP’s requests.
Reinforced controls at Niamey airport
In Paris, the Quai d’Orsay claims to have received no “official communication” or “clear explanation” from the authorities in Niamey on this supposed entry ban into Niger. Such measures, according to the deputy spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, would be “xenophobic”. Also questioned, the Nigerien authorities have not yet confirmed that the French wishing or having to come to Niamey were now persona non grata on their territory.
However, recent events at the airport of the Nigerien capital suggest that French nationals are no longer welcome in the territory. According to RFI“at least five” people have been prevented from entering Nigerien territory since January 25, including the head of the World Food Program (Pam), despite having a United Nations diplomatic passport.
In recent weeks, controls have been strengthened for Westerners entering Nigerien territory. After being questioned about their work, several French nationals also saw their passports confiscated by the border police and then kept at the Territorial Surveillance Directorate (DST) for “additional investigation”, as reported West France.
Franco-Nigerian tensions
Relations between Niger and France, a former colonial power in the region, have continued to deteriorate since the military coup of July 26, 2023 which overthrew elected president Mohamed Bazoum. A sign of an escalation of tensions between the two countries, the French embassy in Niger has been officially closed since January 2 “until further notice”, and is currently continuing its activities from Paris.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs then underlined that “for five months, our embassy has suffered serious obstacles making it impossible to carry out its missions: blockade around the embassy, travel restrictions for agents and refoulement of all diplomatic personnel who were to reach Niger. The closure of an embassy, an extremely rare measure, was decided in parallel with the withdrawal of the last French soldiers deployed in Niger as part of the fight against terrorism, who left the country on December 22, 2023.
The military regime also pronounced at the end of August the expulsion of the French ambassador, Sylvain Itté. He remained stuck inside the diplomatic representation for almost a month before leaving it by decision of the head of state, Emmanuel Macron, who ordered that he remain in place after the coup d’état. .