Macron: Ambassador to Niger “literally took hostage” three Madrid players arrested for distributing porn to minors

According to President Emmanuel Macron, the French ambassador staying there after the military coup in Niger is being ‘held hostage’ along with his staff. “In Niger, as I speak to you, we have an ambassador and diplomatic staff literally being held hostage in the French embassy,” Macron said on Friday. “They are preventing the delivery of food,” Macron said of the coup. The ambassador lives on military rations.

Despite an ultimatum from the coup plotters to leave, the French ambassador remained in Niger at the end of August. It was said that France does not recognize the putschists. The coup plotters have no right to demand the ambassador’s removal because his accreditation comes from Niger’s elected representatives.

A month and a half ago, the presidential guard in Niger deposed President Mohamed Bazoum in a military coup. The commander of the elite unit, General Abdourahamane Tiani, appointed himself the new ruler and suspended the constitutional order. Niger has recently been an important partner for France in its fight against terrorism in the Sahel region. Paris has about 2,500 soldiers stationed in Niger and neighboring Chad.

Meanwhile, the military junta in Burkina Faso has expelled the French defense attaché for “subversive activities”. Emmanuel Pasquier and his associates should leave the West African country within two weeks, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In addition, Burkina Faso will end its military mission in Paris “with immediate effect,” the report said.

Like its neighbors Mali and Niger, Burkina Faso is also turning away from the former colonial power France and other Western partners. After a military coup in the fall, a transitional government led by President Ibrahim Traoré rules the country of about 21 million inhabitants. (sda/dpa)