French President Emmanuel Macron has called for a return to democratic order in Niger, a former French colony whose elected leadership was toppled in a military coup in July.
“As far as Niger is concerned, we are clear: the coup is a coup against democracy in Niger, against the people in Niger and against the fight against terrorism,” Mr Macron said on Thursday.
France therefore demands the release of detained President Mohamed Bazoum and the “restoration of constitutional order,” he said.
The coup in late July came as a major blow to relations between France and Niger.
France has soldiers stationed in several parts of West Africa as part of anti-terror operations, and Macron also defended France’s military presence in the region.
“If we hadn’t got involved with operations Serval and then Barkhane, there’s no doubt Mali and Burkina Faso will no longer exist, and I’m not sure myself if Niger will still exist,” he said.
He said African states had requested the French operations which successfully prevented the formation of caliphates a few thousand kilometres from France’s borders.
“When there is a coup and when the fight against terrorism is not the priority of the new rulers, France does not feel called to remain engaged,” said Macron.
“This is indeed dramatic for the countries concerned.”
Niger, a Sahel country with around 26 million inhabitants and one of the poorest populations in the world, was one of the last democratic partners of the United States and Europe in the so-called “coup belt” surrounding it.
dpa/NAN
