President Emmanuel Macron said France will end its military presence in Niger and pull its ambassador out of the country after its democratically elected president was deposed in a coup. File
| Photo Credit: AP

President Emmanuel Macron announced on September 24 that France will end its military presence in Niger and pull its ambassador out of the country after its democratically elected president was deposed in a coup.

The announcement is a significant, if predicted, blow to France’s policy in Africa, after French troops pulled out of neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso in recent years after coups there. France had stationed thousands of troops in the region at the request of African leaders to fight jihadist groups.

France has maintained some 1,500 troops in Niger since the July coup, and had repeatedly refused an order by the new junta for its ambassador to leave, saying that France didn’t recognize the coup leaders as legitimate.

Also Read | Niger junta accuses France of amassing forces for a military intervention after the coup in July

Tensions between France and Niger, a former French colony, have mounted in recent weeks, and Mr. Macron said recently that diplomats were surviving on military rations as they holed up in the embassy.

In an interview with France-2 television, Mr. Macron said that he spoke Sunday to ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, and told him that “France has decided to bring back its ambassador, and in the coming hours our ambassador and several diplomats will return to France.”

He added, “And we will put an end to our military cooperation with the Niger authorities.” He said the troops would be gradually pulled out, likely by the end of the year.

He noted that France’s military presence in Niger was in response to a request from Niger’s government at the time.

The military cooperation between France and Niger had been suspended since the coup. The junta leaders claimed that Bazoum’s government wasn’t doing enough to protect the country from the insurgency.

The junta in August gave French Ambassador Sylvain Itte 48 hours to leave. After the deadline expired without France recalling him, the coup leaders then revoked his diplomatic immunity.

The junta is now under sanctions by Western and regional African powers.

In New York on Friday, the military government that seized power in Niger accused U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of “obstructing” the West African nation’s full participation at the U.N.’s annual meeting of world leaders in order to appease France and its allies.

New Delhi:

The G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration “confirms the isolation of Russia” and a “vast majority of G20 countries have condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine”, French President Emmanuel Macron said Sunday afternoon, a day after G20 leaders released a “100 per cent unanimous declaration” that was light on mention of the war in Ukraine and had no reference to Moscow’s role in the conflict.

A tad more direct while addressing reporters today, Mr Macron told reporters “Russia is still waging its war” and then reaffirmed the text of Saturday’s declaration, which spoke about upholding principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, and called on all states to “refrain from the threat, or use, of force to seek territorial acquisition. “The G20 is committed to just and lasting peace in Ukraine,” he declared.

Mr Macron also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his “words of peace”.

The New Delhi Declaration’s discreet critique of Russia for its war on Ukraine was seen as a major climbdown from the G20’s position last year, when global leaders cited a United Nations resolution to condemn in “… strongest terms… aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine”.

This year – consensus over which was delayed due to differences between the West and Russia-China over the war – the group acknowledged the war’s impact but said “the G20 is not the platform to resolve geopolitical and security issues… (which) can have significant consequences for the global economy”.

READ | G20 Decries “Use Of Force” In Ukraine Without Naming Russia

That sentiment – that the G20 is not a forum for global security issues – was referred to by Mr Macron again; he said, “The G20 is not a forum for political discussions. We are here to talk about economic topics and the climate (crisis). G20 should not get stuck in other things… the UN charter is there.”

Disagreements over the wording of the Delhi Declaration were underlined Saturday after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, attending in place of President Vladimir Putin, said his country had been prepared to block any declaration that does not reflect its views on the Ukraine war.

READ |“Negotiated With Russia, China, Only Last Night…”: G20 Sherpa On Consensus

The West, meanwhile, had initially hardened its stance, insisting on stronger language.

India had argued that the G20, while it could condemn suffering caused by the war – could do no more as is “a premier forum for economic cooperation” and not to resolve geopolitical and security issues.

Speaking at his press conference today, Mr Lavrov claimed victory for Russia as it had been “able to prevent the West’s attempts to ‘Ukrainize’ the summit agenda. “The text doesn’t mention Russia at all.”

He slammed “Anglo-Saxons” and NATO for their “aggressive policy” and for the prolonged war in Ukraine, which Russia launched in February last year and calls a “special military operation”.

France’s Praise For India’s G20 Negotiators

On Saturday, French diplomatic officials told NDTV of the high regard they had for India’s negotiators, including sherpa Amitabh Kant, who led the more than 200 rounds of talks that yielded the declaration.

READ | France Says Not Many In Position To Negotiate As India: Sources On G20

A French source said India had assumed “a kind of power… ability to bring countries together” and that there are not many nations in the world today that can bring warring parties to a common table.

“This is something important,” the source stressed.