October 11, (THEWILL) – The military junta in Niger has ordered the United Nations (UN) resident and humanitarian coordinator, Louise Aubin, “to take all necessary measures to leave Niamey within 72 hours”.
The Nigerien Foreign Ministry, in a statement on Tuesday, said Aubin (a Canadian, who was appointed to the job in January 2021) was expelled over the UN’s refusal to allow Niger’s participation in the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly held last month in New York, United States.
The military regime had criticised “the perfidious actions” of the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, saying they were “likely to undermine any effort to end the crisis in our country”.
Meanwhile, the military Junta said Tuesday it escorted the first convoy of French soldiers from their base in the western town of Ouallam headed towards Chad.
Chad’s capital N’Djamena is 1,600 kilometres (1,000 miles) from Niamey and is the base for French forces in the Sahel Command.
Around 1,000 French troops were stationed in Niamey, with another 400 deployed at two forward bases in the northwest, near Mali and Burkina Faso, a hotbed of insurgent activity.
In addition to the departure by land, “three special flights” have been registered at the airport in Niamey, two for the departure of “97 special forces elements” and one “dedicated to logistics”, Niger’s new rulers said in a statement on national television.
The regime, which has assured the withdrawal would happen with “complete safety”, said the disengagement would continue on “a timetable agreed to by both parties”.
It is the third time in 18 months that French troops have been sent packing by a former African colony, dealing a severe blow to France’s influence on the continent and prestige on the international stage.
France’s ambassador to Niger was also given his marching orders by the leaders of the coup that toppled the French-backed president on July 26.
The United States, on Tuesday, cut off more than $500 million in assistance to Niger.
It declared that Niger’s ousting of a democratic government (which has been interpreted as a key bulwark against Russia) had been a coup.
“Any resumption of US assistance will require action… to usher in democratic governance in a quick and credible timeframe,” State Department Spokesman, Matthew Miller, said.
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