On July 26, members of the presidential guard seized power in a military coup in Niger. President Mohamed Bazoum was placed under house arrest with his wife and son.

According to the junta’s foreign ministry, French ambassador Sylvain Itte refused to respond to an invitation to meet with the minister. This and “other actions of the French government contrary to the interests of Niger”, were cited late Friday as the reasons for the expulsions.

France, a former colonial country, has about 1,500 troops stationed in Niger as part of military operations against radical Islamist rebels in West Africa.

Coup against democracy

France also has great economic interests in the country. According to experts, Niger has become the country’s fifth largest supplier of uranium – which is used to fuel French nuclear power plants.

The West African bloc, Ecowas, threatened to use force against the junta to reinstate Bazoum, and Niger was expelled from the African Union on Tuesday. France, like the UN and the US, has asked the junta to release Bazoum.

– As far as Niger is concerned, we understand: a coup is a coup against democracy in Niger, against the Niger people and against the war on terrorism, President Emmanuel Macron told Le Point magazine on Thursday.

Strategically important

Niger is also strategically important to countries such as the United States, China and Russia because of its uranium and oil reserves. The country is also a base for Western troops fighting insurgent groups in the Sahel, and the US has about 1,000 troops stationed in Niger.

Niger is located in the Sahel region, and has a population of around 26 million and is one of the poorest countries in the world. At the same time, Niger, which became independent from France in 1960, is one of the world’s largest producers of the precious metal uranium.

Fourth coup

Niger became the fourth country in West Africa to experience a coup since 2020. The other countries are Guinea, Mali and Burkina Faso. The juntas of the last two countries have said that a military intervention in Niger would be considered a declaration of war on themselves.

Coup plotters in Niger said on Thursday they would allow armed forces from neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso to cross the border and intervene if Niger was attacked.

[ MDG: – Stortingsflertallet som stemte ned forslaget er ikke i takt med folket ]