France again justified on Sunday the maintenance of its ambassador in Niger, whose safety it ensures in the face of pressure, while the military regime which came to power at the end of July demands his departure. “He is our representative to the legitimate authorities of Niger (…), we do not have to follow the injunctions of a minister who has no legitimacy,” said French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna in a interview with Le Monde newspaper. “That’s why our ambassador stays on. We are making sure that he can safely face the pressures of the putschists,” she said.
At the end of August, the soldiers had given 48 hours to the French ambassador Sylvain Itté to leave the territory, which Paris refused, arguing that this government had no authority to base such a request.
Asked about Wagner’s future in Africa after the death of its leader Yevgueni Prigojine, the minister believes that the Russian paramilitary group “has just suffered a considerable shock with the death of its founders and some of its executives”. “However, it is too early to know what all the consequences will be,” she said. This group is totally ineffective in the fight against terrorism and jihadism, coupled with documented and serious abuses, but we must expect other attempts to plunder resources and dirty deeds done for Russia, if it is not in the name of Russia”.
The minister also assures that the Ukrainian counter-offensive is going in the right direction. “The Ukrainians have always said that they will carry out their counter-offensive over several months and not in days or weeks. They themselves say that the operations are difficult.” “Nevertheless, the Ukrainians are making progress and have broken through in some places. Before making judgments, we must remember that they are the ones who are fighting and sacrificing their lives,” she said. The kyiv army has made a major breakthrough in the Russian defense lines in southern Ukraine, according to one of its generals.
