During a major foreign policy speech to ambassadors gathered in Paris, Macron confirmed that French envoy Sylvain Itte was listening in from Niger capital Niamey despite being given a 48-hour deadline to leave the country last Friday.
“France and its diplomats have faced particularly difficult situations in some countries in recent months, from Sudan, where France has been exemplary, to Niger at this very moment and I applaud your colleague and your colleagues who are listening from their posts,” he said.
Niger President Mohamed Bazoum was toppled on July 26 and has been detained along with his family at the presidential palace in a coup that has been condemned by France and most of Niger’s neighbours.
I think that’s unlikely. The nigerien force would encounter a lot of resistance, and this is likely to escalade the situation with ECOWAS and the African Union.
This is a game of chicken and the junta has very few good cards to play right now. Strategically, their only option is to wait until people are forced to accept them. But that option is extremely difficult given the current economical situation and blocus. They have almost no allies around them