The French Ambassador to Niger, Sylvain Itté, has returned to France, according to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Catherine Colonna, received him at the Quai d’Orsay to thank him for his actions and those of his team in difficult conditions. The ambassador left Niamey with six colleagues on Wednesday morning.
During a joint interview on TF1 and France2, President Emmanuel Macron announced his return in the coming hours after a phone call with the ousted president, Mohamed Bazoum, who is still being held by the military coup leaders.
There has been a standoff between the French government and the coup leaders for several weeks following the coup on July 26th. In late August, the Nigerien military revoked the diplomatic immunity and visas of Sylvain Itté, but Paris had previously refused to recall him. France argued that it did not recognize the legitimacy of the military in power.
President Emmanuel Macron also announced on Sunday that the 1,500 French soldiers deployed in Niger to support the fight against jihadism will leave the country by the end of the year.
