Niger: Niger takes the reins of its relations with France after the departure of French troops

One week after the announcement of the departure of the French ambassador and French troops from Niger, the Nigerien President, General Abdourahamane Tiani, said that the Nigerien people would now dictate the form of future relations with France. These statements were made during two interviews in local languages, broadcast on national television, Tele Sahel.

These remarks follow the announcement by French President Emmanuel Macron of the departure of the French ambassador in Niamey, Sylvain Itté, and the withdrawal of some 1.500 French soldiers present in Niger by the end of the year. General Abdourahamane Tiani pointed out that despite the French were present in Niger to fight terrorism, but that they had unilaterally stopped all cooperation.

He lamented that not only have terrorists not been driven out, but that there are more and more of them.

General Tiani also justified the coup in Niger by saying that the country was at risk of disappearing due to jihadist attacks, and that the ruling leaders under Bazoum were not listening to their military advisors. He stressed that France was not the only country with which Niger had cultural relations, in reaction to the suspension of the issuance of visas by Paris for Nigerien, Burkinabe and Malian nationals.

General Tiani also revealed that some elected figures were diverting the texts to their advantage. He justified the coup by the squandering of public funds by the former leaders and recalled the establishment of an anti-corruption commission and a national dialogue to reform Nigerien political life.

Since the regime change, Niger has faced political and economic sanctions from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which has even threatened to intervene militarily. General Tiani lamented that this organization did not try to understand the reasons for the coup and stressed that the Nigerien people were suffering the consequences of the embargo imposed by ECOWAS.