France closes its embassy in Niger until further notice

The French Foreign Ministry on Tuesday announced the immediate closure of its embassy in Niger until further notice.

This announcement comes after French President Emmanuel Macron had ordered, in September, a gradual pullout of the French troops deployed in Niger by the end of 2023 following weeks of regular protests against their presence in the West African country.

Prior to that, Niger’s military leaders decided to scrap all military agreements with France, a decision that Paris initially rubbished, citing a lack of legitimacy.

READ MORE: ECOWAS plans to hold further talks on Niger coup.

In a statement, the France said that the embassy in Niamey is closed now “until further notice” and will continue operating from Paris while consular activities will be carried out by French consulates in the region.

“For the past five months, our Embassy has been subjected to major obstacles that have made it impossible to do its job: a blockade around the Embassy, restrictions on employee movements, and the turning away of all diplomatic personnel who were supposed to arrive in Niger, in clear violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations,” the foreign ministry said.

It added that the embassy, which will continue to operate from Paris, will also maintain ties with its nationals in the West African country and with the nongovernmental organizations that work in the humanitarian sector.