eviction notice

The French ambassador at the heart of Niger’s tug-of-war

By Manon Laplace

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Posted on August 30, 2023 09:49

Supporters of the military administration in Niger storm French military air base as they demand French soldiers to leave the country in Niamey, Niger on August 27, 2023. On Aug. 25, Niger’s military administration gave the French Ambassador Sylvain Itte 48 hours to leave the country, accusing him of refusing to respond to an invitation to meet Niger’s foreign minister. Balima Boureima / Anadolu Agency (Photo by Balima Boureima / ANADOLU AGENCY / Anadolu Agency via AFP)
Supporters of the military administration in Niger storm French military air base as they demand French soldiers to leave the country in Niamey, Niger on August 27, 2023. On Aug. 25, Niger’s military administration gave the French Ambassador Sylvain Itte 48 hours to leave the country, accusing him of refusing to respond to an invitation to meet Niger’s foreign minister. Balima Boureima / Anadolu Agency (Photo by Balima Boureima / ANADOLU AGENCY / Anadolu Agency via AFP)

Sylvain Itté, who has decried ‘anti-French sentiment’ in Africa, says his expulsion by coup leaders in Niger is illegitimate.

On Friday, 25 August, five letters were sent to several journalists through the communications channels of the Conseil National pour la Sauvegarde de la Patrie (National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland, CNSP), the military contingent that has seized power in Niger.

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