France has rejected the Niger junta’s move to scrap bilateral military pacts with it, insisting that the only the country’s “legitimate” leadership was entitled to do so.
Recall that the military junta in Niger Republic cut off ties with Nigeria, France, and other countries on Friday, after the peace talks delegates sent by the Economic Community of West Africa States failed.
Also, the Niger Coup leaders, on Thursday, revoked a raft of military cooperation agreements with France.
The country further suspended broadcasts of French state-funded international news outlets France 24 and RFI earlier on Thursday – drawing condemnation from the French foreign ministry.
A decision about the revocation of five military deals with France dating between 1977 and 2020 was read out on national television late on Thursday by junta representative, Amadou Abdramane, Reuters reports.
Abdramane added that a diplomatic notice will be sent to France to that effect. There was no immediate response from France.
But the European country, which colonized Niger, has rejected the move.
“The legal framework of France’s defence agreement with Niger is based on accords that were signed with the legitimate Nigerien authorities,” the foreign ministry said after the junta in Niamey said it was cancelling military cooperation agreements with Paris.
