Accused by the putschists of Niger’s military regime of having violated the national airspace and freed terrorists, Paris firmly denied these allegations, Wednesday August 9, via a joint press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and that of the Armed Forces. “The air movement carried out today in Niger was the subject of a prior agreement and technical coordination with the Nigerien forces, authorization confirmed in writing”, they point out, confirming an earlier statement from a source governmental.
The ministries add that “no attack against a Nigerien camp took place”. “No terrorist has been released by the French forces who have been fighting against this scourge for many years in the Sahel at the risk of the lives of their soldiers”, they also reacted.
They recall that the 1,500 French soldiers positioned in Niger “are at the request of the legitimate Nigerien authorities, to fight against the terrorist groups which destabilize the region and martyrize the populations in the Sahel”. In addition, they believe, “these statements against France constitute a new attempt at diversion, at a time when ECOWAS is increasing mediation efforts to restore constitutional order in Niger”.
“The flight carried out this morning (Wednesday) was authorized and coordinated with the Nigerien army,” said a French government source. “And no terrorists have been released by French forces. “French forces took off” Wednesday from N’Djamena, Chad, “a military aircraft” at “6:01 a.m. local time,” a statement from the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Homeland (CNSP) said earlier. ) who seized power in Niger, adding: “This aircraft voluntarily cut off all contact with air traffic control at the entrance to our space from 6:39 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. local time. »
In the same statement, the CNSP accuses Paris of having “unilaterally released terrorist prisoners”, the word “terrorist” designating armed jihadists. Since the military came to power, France has suspended military cooperation agreements with Niamey.
The military in power in Niamey denounced these agreements last week, which Paris rejected, on the grounds that they had been signed by the legitimate Nigerien authorities.
In an interview this Saturday, the Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, considered that the “putsch has weakened this fight against terrorism in a Sahelian zone where armed terrorist groups are experiencing a resurgence of activity”.
