Controversy Surrounding US Diplomats in Niger: Latest Updates and Denials

2023-08-25 23:18:38

A US State Department spokesperson denied to Al-Hurra, on Friday, the authenticity of the messages that were circulated regarding a request submitted by Niger for some US diplomats to leave the country.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Niger informed the United States that the pictures of messages circulating on the Internet calling for the departure of some American diplomatic figures from Niger were not issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Niger,” the spokesman said.

He added that the US administration had not received a request for this.

This comes following the military who seized power in Niamey, on Friday, gave the ambassadors of Nigeria, Germany and France in Niger 48 hours to leave the country, according to a message issued by the Nigerien Foreign Ministry, according to AFP.

And the ministry confirmed in a statement that, given the “refusal of the Nigerian ambassador in Niamey to respond” to her invitation to “conduct an interview” on Friday, and “other actions of the Nigerian government that contradict the interests of Niger,” the authorities decided to “withdraw their consent to accredit (Ambassador) Mohamed Othman and ask him Leave Nigerian territory within 48 hours.

The putschists stated that they also “withdrew their consent” to accredit the German ambassador, Olivier Schnackenberg, and the French, Sylvain Eit, and also gave them 48 hours to leave the country.

For its part, France refused, on Friday evening, to ask the military authorities in Niger to leave its ambassador, saying that “the putschists do not have the capacity” to submit such a request.

“France has been notified of the putschists’ request,” the French Foreign Ministry told AFP, adding that “the putschists have no eligibility to submit this request, and the ambassador’s approval comes only from the elected legitimate Nigerien authorities.”

“We are constantly assessing the security and operational conditions of our embassy,” the ministry added.

Niger is ruled by a military council, which includes generals who have been holding the president, Mohamed Bazoum, since their coup once morest power on July 26.

After the overthrow of the president who was elected, in 2021, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) announced, on August 10, its intention to deploy a force to “restore constitutional order in Niger”, without knowing the details of such a process and its particular date.

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