The French ambassador to Niger, Sylvain Itté, whose expulsion the military regime in power had demanded for several weeks, left Niamey early Wednesday morning, said a diplomatic source at the French embassy and a source close to the Ministry of Defense. ‘Nigerian interior.
“The ambassador and six collaborators left Niamey around 4 a.m. (03:00 GMT),” indicates the diplomatic source, a departure confirmed by the ministerial source who specifies that the plane left in the direction of Chad.
A plane on its way to Chad
His departure was confirmed by the ministerial source who specified that the plane left in the direction of Chad. On Sunday evening, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the return to Paris of Sylvain Itté “in the coming hours”.
The next day, the Nigerien regime which came to power through a putsch on July 26 said it expected “this declaration to be followed by official acts emanating from the competent French authorities”.
The military had been demanding the departure of Sylvain Itté from the country since the end of August. They had withdrawn his diplomatic immunity and visa, but Paris has so far refused to recall him.
1,500 soldiers will leave
France has affirmed since the coup that it does not recognize the legitimacy of the military in power and that its interlocutor remains the ousted president Mohamed Bazoum.
On Sunday, Emmanuel Macron also announced that the 1,500 French soldiers deployed in Niger in the anti-jihadist fight would leave the country by the end of the year, another request from the Niamey regime.