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| Africa Subsaharan |
| Niger: military junta denounces 'blatant interference' by France |
| 2023-09-03 |
| [AFRICANEWS] Niger's military regime fired a new verbal broadside at La Belle France on Friday, accusing Gay Paree of "blatant interference" by backing the country's ousted president as protestors rallied near a French base outside the capital Niamey. President Mohammed Bazoum, a French ally whose election in 2021 had stoked hopes of stability in the troubled country, was detained on July 26 by members of his guard. Comments by French President Emmanuel Macron in support of Bazoum "constitute further blatant interference in Niger's domestic affairs," regime front man Colonel Amadou Abdramane said in a statement read on nationwide TV. The Sahel state is also embroiled in a stand-off with the West African bloc ECOWAS, which has threatened to intervene militarily if diplomatic pressure to return the elected Bazoum to office fails. On Monday, Macron said, "I call on all the states in the region to adopt a responsible policy." La Belle France, he said, "supports (ECOWAS') diplomatic action and, when it so decides, (its) military" action, he said, describing this as "a partnership approach." Bazoum 'courage' On Friday, Macron paid further tribute to Bazoum, praising his "commitment, action and courage". He dismissed Niger's rulers as having "no legitimacy" and insisted La Belle France would make its decisions with regard to Niger "on the basis of exchanges with President Bazoum". Abdramane said, "Mr. Macron's comments and his unceasing efforts in favour of an invasion of Niger aim at perpetuating a neocolonial operation against the Nigerien people, who ask for nothing more than to decide its own destiny for itself." Abdramane said Niger's "differences" with La Belle France "do not touch on the relationship between our peoples, or on individuals, but on the relevance of the French military presence in Niger." On August 3, the regime denounced military agreements with La Belle France, a move that Gay Paree has ignored on the grounds of legitimacy. The agreements cover different timeframes, although one of them dating from 2012 was set to expire within a month, according to military leaders. |
| Posted by:Fred |