“In Niger, as I speak to you, we have an ambassador and diplomatic members who are literally taken hostage at the French embassy,” declared Emmanuel Macron during a trip to Semur-en-Auxois (Côte -d’Or), this Friday September 15. “We are preventing food from being delivered. He eats with military rations,” he continued, adding that Ambassador Sylvain Itté “no longer has the possibility of going out, he is persona non grata and we refuse to allow him to he can feed himself.
The military, who overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum and took power on July 26, ordered the expulsion of the French ambassador at the end of August, after Paris refused to comply with an ultimatum demanding his departure. France has since continued to oppose this departure, arguing that this government had no authority to base such a request.
“I will do what we agree with President Bazoum”
Asked about a possible repatriation of the ambassador to Paris, the head of state reiterated: “I will do what we agree with President Bazoum because he is the legitimate authority and I speak to him every day.” Mohamed Bazoum is still considered by France as the legitimate head of state of Niger. On September 10, Emmanuel Macron had already stressed that a possible redeployment of French forces stationed in Niger would only be decided at the request of President Bazoum.
The new power in place has denounced the military cooperation agreements with France and is counting on “a rapid departure” of the approximately 1,500 French soldiers present in the country. Emmanuel Macron also confirmed that France “will continue to welcome, obviously” artists from the Sahel while voices were raised in the world of culture against an administration directive requesting the suspension of all collaboration with artists. artists from Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso.
However, he conceded that for Nigerien artists who do not yet have their visa, the situation looks complicated because access to French consular services is no longer possible. “It’s not that we’re banning it, it’s that we can’t give it (Editor’s note: the possibility of accessing the embassy) because of the putschists and for security reasons,” said said the president.