France's ambassador to Niger is still in the coup-hit Sahel country despite an ultimatum from the new army leaders to leave his post, French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday.
During a major foreign policy speech to ambassadors in Paris, Macron confirmed that French envoy Sylvain Itte was listening in from Niger capital Niamey despite being given a 48-hour deadline to leave the country last Friday.
On Friday, the new Niger regime announced that French ambassador Itte had 48 hours to leave, saying he had refused to meet with the new rulers and citing French government actions that were"contrary to the interests of Niger". The impoverished Sahel region, which lies south of the Sahara, has suffered what Macron called an"epidemic" of coups in recent years, with military regimes replacing elected governments in Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea as well as Niger.
Current military regimes in Mali and Burkina Faso have forged closer ties with Russia, which Macron referred to as a"neo-imperialist" power.
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