The Nigerien military council gives the French ambassador 48 hours to leave the country | outside

Agence France-Presse had previously reported that the US, German and Nigerian ambassadors should also leave the country, but that turned out to be incorrect.

A spokesman for the US State Department said, on Friday, that Niger announced that there was no doubt about the forced departure of the US ambassador. “No such request has been made to the United States government.” The German ambassador responded on X (formerly Twitter) with a short message: “It’s fake news!” A source in the military council confirmed to Reuters news agency that only the French ambassador had asked to leave.

The French Foreign Ministry had previously said in response that it had “accepted the request”, but that only the “legitimately elected Nigerien authorities” could submit such a request. He added that the coup plotters did not have the authority to make this request.

France, Niger’s colonial power until 1960, has deployed more than 1,000 soldiers to the country to help fight jihadist groups. The new military council soon ended this military cooperation. Since the coup, anti-French sentiment continued to grow and supporters of the coup plotters demonstrated several times against France at the embassy and military base.

At the end of last month, the military in Niger, led by General Abderrahmane Chiane, seized power. The democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum was removed from office and arrested.

The French government has spoken out against the coup and wants the former president reinstated. Like the rest of the European Union, the country has suspended development aid and economic cooperation in Niger.

Paris backs ECOWAS, the Association of West African Nations, which threatens to intervene if order is not restored in Niger. The military council accuses the Economic Community of West African States of allowing itself to be used by the French colonial vehicle.