PARIS: France’s President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that the French ambassador to Niger will stay in the country despite pressure to leave from the junta.
He also reiterated France’s support to the ousted president of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, whose decision not to resign Macron was called courageous.
Macron said that France’s policy is right. It is based on the courage of President Bazoum and on the commitments of the French envoy on the ground, who is remaining despite all the declarations made by the illegitimate authorities and despite all the pressure, according to media reports.
On Friday, Niger’s military rulers, which seized power in a coup on 26 July, said it had ordered French diplomat Sylvain Itte to leave the country within forty-eight hours.
French President Dismisses Calls
Macron also dismissed calls from some in the US and Europe for Western powers to give up on Bazoum.
He said that they do not recognize those who have carried out the putsch; they support a president who has not resigned.
The major West African bloc ECOWAS has been trying to talk with the leaders of the Niger coup and has said it is ready to deploy forces to restore constitutional order if diplomatic efforts fail.
