Niger: France denies accusations of military intervention

The head of French diplomacy Catherine Colonna on Monday denied the accusations of the junta which took power in Niger, according to which France would like to "intervene militarily" in the country. "It is false", she said on the BFM channel.

"We must dismantle the intox and not fall into the trap", also reacted the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, about the anti-French slogans which notably flourished during a demonstration in front of the French Embassy in Niamey on Sunday.

"We saw an organized demonstration, not spontaneous, violent, extremely dangerous, with molotov cocktails, Russian flags which appeared, anti-French slogans copied and pasted from what we can have elsewhere", he said . she lamented, noting "all the usual ingredients of Russian-African destabilization".

Catherine Colonna recalled that France's absolute priority was "the security of its nationals" while the security of the French Embassy in Niamey has been reinforced. She also considered that it was "possible" to restore the democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum to his functions. "And it is necessary because these destabilizations are perilous for Niger and its neighbors", she commented.

At the Élysée, it is pointed out that President Emmanuel Macron "actively follows the current situation".

"He was able to exchange on several occasions with Presidents Bazoum and Issouffou, as well as with the Heads of State of ECOWAS, and especially the Presidents of Nigeria, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Benin and Senegal and (with) our European and international partners involved in the resolution of the Niger crisis", it was indicated.

At the Quai d'Orsay, as at the Élysée, the military putsch was strongly condemned and the "restoration of constitutional order" was called for.