Niger gives French ambassador 48 hours

Niger gives French ambassador 48 hours|| On Friday, the junta in Niger instructed the French ambassador located in Niamey to depart the country within the next 48 hours. This directive, as reported by the Nigerien Foreign Ministry, was a result of the ambassador, Sylvain Itte, declining to participate in a scheduled meeting with the nation’s foreign minister on the same day.

The announcement was made through an official statement released by the state-controlled broadcaster ORTN. The ministry elaborated that due to this refusal and considering additional actions by the French government deemed unfavorable to Niger’s interests, Itte’s diplomatic credentials were revoked by the Nigerien authorities.

Responding to these developments, the French Foreign Ministry informed AFP that it had taken note of the request made by the junta, while firmly asserting that the authority to approve or demand the ambassador’s departure solely rested with Niger’s legitimate and elected authorities, not with the coup leaders.

CNN has initiated contact with the French Foreign Ministry to gather their perspective on the matter.

In a separate statement, the US State Department conveyed that it had been informed by Niger’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the circulation of letters on the internet that supposedly called for the removal of specific American diplomatic personnel. The US State Department clarified that these letters were not officially issued by their ministry and that no official request had been made to the US government for such departure. Read More>>