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🔴 Live: Paris ‘firmly condemns’ suspension of RFI and FRANCE 24 broadcasts in Niger
France on Thursday “firmly condemned” the blocking of Radio France Internationale and FRANCE 24 broadcasts in Niger, where last week’s coup has sparked protests hostile to Paris. Earlier today thousands of pro-coup demonstrators gathered in Niamey as the West African nation marks its independence day. Follow our liveblog for all the latest developments on the coup in Niger. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
Issued on: 03/08/2023 – 06:23
Modified: 03/08/2023 – 20:54
9 min
People walk on a street in Niamey, Niger on August 2, 2023.
People walk on a street in Niamey, Niger on August 2, 2023. © Balima Boureima, Reuters
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8:54pm: State Department says US chartering plane to evacuate ‘non-essential’ personnel from Niger
The US has chartered a plane to evacuate its non-essential personnel from coup-hit Niger, a State Department official said Thursday.
The flight, which is also open to American citizens wishing to leave the West African country, is scheduled to depart Friday afternoon from Niamey “if all things go right,” the official told reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity.
He added that consular services in Niger had begun contacting “several hundred” registered US citizens to ascertain whether they planned to stay or leave the fragile nation, a week after President Mohamed Bazoum was deposed by his own guard and a military junta installed.
But there are many Americans who do not wish to leave, he added.
A handful of US citizens have already boarded flights chartered by France and Italy in recent days, according to the same source.
On Wednesday, the US ordered the evacuation of its non-essential staff at the embassy in Niamey.
8:45pm: West African delegation arrives in Niger
A delegation from the West African bloc ECOWAS arrived in Niger on Thursday for talks in a bid to resolve a crisis following last week’s military coup, an airport source told AFP.
The source said the delegation landed in the capital Niamey at 6:11pm (1711 GMT). ECOWAS on Sunday had given the junta a week to reinstate elected President Mohamed Bazoum or risk a possible military intervention.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu urged the representatives to do “whatever it takes to ensure a conclusive and amicable resolution of the situation in Niger”, his office said in a statement.
The delegation headed by former Nigerian leader Abdulsalami Abubakar is due to “meet the coup leaders in Niger to present the demands of the ECOWAS leadership”, Tinubu’s office added.
7:58pm: French foreign minister spoke to US counterpart Blinken on Niger
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said on Thursday she had spoken to her US counterpart Antony Blinken regarding the situation in Niger, and that the two reaffirmed their support for Niger’s ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.
“Spoke to my US colleague @SecBlinken today. We remain committed to the restoration of democracy in #Niger and support the democratically elected President,” Colonna posted on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
7:25pm: France condemns suspension of FRANCE 24 and Radio France Internationale broadcasts in Niger
France on Thursday “firmly condemned” the blocking of French media broadcasts in Niger, where last week’s coup has sparked protests hostile to Paris.
“France reaffirms its constant engagement and determination in favour of freedom of expression, the press, and the protection of journalists,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Earlier, FRANCE 24 and RFI published a press release regarding their blocked broadcasts in the country since Thursday afternoon.
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7:08pm: Nigerian president calls for ‘amicable resolution’ of Niger crisis
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu on Thursday urged West Africa’s regional bloc ECOWAS to do “whatever it takes” to achieve an “amicable resolution” of the crisis in Niger, after the organisation gave the country’s junta a deadline to reinstate toppled President Mohamed Bazoum or risk a possible military intervention.
Tinubu told two delegations representing the bloc to do “whatever it takes to ensure a conclusive and amicable resolution of the situation in Niger”, according to a statement from the Nigerian presidency.
7:04pm: FRANCE 24 and RFI condemn the suspension of their broadcasts in Niger
One week after the coup d’état in Niger, according to multiple sources on the ground, the broadcasts of RFI (Radio France Internationale) and FRANCE 24 have been suspended in the country. France Médias Monde deplores this decision taken outside any conventional and legal framework, further depriving citizens in the region of their access to free and independent information.
This incident follows previous cases of censorship faced by RFI and France 24 in Mali and Burkina Faso in recent months. The media group reaffirms its steadfast commitment to the freedom of information and the safety of its journalists.
Please click on the link here to read the press release.
4:03pm: ECOWAS intervention an opportunity for the junta to ‘go back to their barracks’, says Niger’s ambassador to the US
Speaking in an interview with FRANCE 24, the ambassador of the Republic of Niger to the US Kiari Liman-Tinguiri said ECOWAS’ potential military intervention in Niger would represent an opportunity for the junta to “go back to their barracks”.
Condemning the coup that has seen General Abdourahmane Tiani seize power and democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum imprisoned in the West African country, Liman-Tinguiri said he continues to recognise the ousted government.
The junta has so far detained four ministers according to party officials.
Please click on the video player below to watch the interview.
11:27
2:54pm: Senegal will participate if ECOWAS intervenes militarily in Niger, says foreign minister
Senegal said Thursday that it will participate if the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) decides to intervene militarily in Niger following last week’s coup.
Foreign Minister Aissata Tall Sall told reporters on Thursday that there had been one “coup too many” in the region and cited Senegal’s international commitments.
“Senegalese soldiers, for all these reasons, will go there,” she said.
2:32pm: West Africa bloc says military intervention in Niger ‘last resort’
West Africa’s regional bloc ECOWAS on Wednesday said a military intervention in junta-ruled Niger was “the last resort” as Nigeria cut electricity supplies to intensify pressure on the country’s coup leaders.
West African military chiefs were meeting in Nigeria’s capital Abuja Wednesday to frame a response while a delegation was in Niger for negotiations, a week after the coup that shook the fragile nation.
Please click on the video player below to watch the report.
01:49
1:30pm: ‘Down with France, ECOWAS, EU’: Junta supporters rally in Niamey
Thousands of people are gathering in Niger’s capital in support of the coup that toppled the democratically elected government as the West African nation marks its independence day.
Protesters in Niamey pumped their fists in the air and chanted out support for neighbouring countries that have also seen military takeovers in recent years. Some waved Russian flags, and one man brandished a Russian and Nigerien flag sewn together. One of the demonstrators in Niamey held a placard that said: “Long live Niger, Russia, Mali and Burkina. Down with France, ECOWAS, EU.”
The pro-coup demonstration comes as defence chiefs from the regional ECOWAS group are due to wind up talks on a possible military intervention to restore democracy.
12:01pm: France says Niger evacuation ends with 1,079 flown out
The French government said it had flown 1,079 people out of Niger as its evacuation operation ended in the West African country hit by a coup.
Defence minister Sébastien Lecornu said on Twitter, being rebranded as X, that the evacuated French and foreign nationals “are now safe”.
11:00am: Biden calls for Bazoum’s immediate release
US President Joe Biden called for the immediate release of Niger’s elected President Mohamed Bazoum, and for the country’s democracy to be preserved.
“I call for President Bazoum and his family to be immediately released, and for the preservation of Niger’s hard-earned democracy,” Biden said in a statement, a week after the military coup.
The democratically elected Bazoum was overthrown on July 26 when members of his own guard detained him at the presidential palace.
8:55am: Britain ‘temporarily’ reduces embassy staff in Niamey
A few hours after the US, Britain also announced that it would be temporarily cutting its embassy staff in the Nigerien capital of Niamey.
“Due to the security situation the British Embassy in Niamey is temporarily reducing the number of its staff,” the foreign office said in a statement.
7:20am: France asks Niger forces to ‘fully guarantee’ embassy safety
France’s foreign ministry asked Niger’s junta to “fully guarantee” the safety of its embassy in Niamey ahead of planned protests in the capital following a coup.
Paris said it had asked Nigerien security forces to take the necessary measures to ensure that “the security of foreign diplomatic rights of way and diplomatic personnel” are guaranteed, adding that these were “obligations under international law, especially under the Vienna Convention”.
On Sunday, coup supporters attacked the French embassy in Niamey, setting fires outside its compound walls and smashing windows. The M62 Movement, an activist group that has organised pro-Russia and anti-French protests, has called for residents in Niamey to mobilise and block the airport until foreign military personnel leave the country.
3:45am: Niger’s military ruler warns against foreign meddling, urges population to defend the country
Niger’s new military ruler lashed out at neighboring countries and the international community in a nationally televised speech Wednesday night, and he called on the population to be ready to defend the nation.
In one of few addresses to the West African country since seizing power from Niger’s democratically elected president a week ago, General Abdourahmane Tiani warned against foreign meddling and military intervention against the coup.
“We therefore call on the people of Niger as a whole and their unity to defeat all those who want to inflict unspeakable suffering on our hard-working populations and destabilise our country,” Tiani said.
Tiani, who commands Niger’s presidential guard, also promised to create the conditions for a peaceful transition to elections following his ouster of President Mohamed Bazoum.
2:00am: Blinken tells Niger’s Bazoum US backs restoration of his government
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Niger’s ousted President Mohamed Bazoum in a phone call on Wednesday that the US remains committed to the restoration of the African country’s democratically elected government, the State Department said.
1:10am: US orders evacuation of some embassy staff, families from Niger
The United States ordered the evacuation of some staff and families from its embassy in Niger after military officers seized power there, the State Department said on Wednesday, even as the mission will remain open and senior leadership will continue working from there.
“Given ongoing developments in Niger and out of an abundance of caution, the Department of State is ordering the temporary departure of non-emergency US government personnel and eligible family members from the US Embassy in Niamey,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.
“The United States remains committed to our relationship with the people of Niger and to Nigerien democracy. We remain diplomatically engaged at the highest levels,” Miller said.
Key events in Niger so far:
Niger’s elected president Mohamed Bazoum has been held by the military since July 26, in the third coup in as many years to topple an elected leader in the Sahel.
The head of Niger’s powerful presidential guard, General Abdourahamane Tiani, has declared himself the country’s new leader.
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Tiani said the putsch was a response to “the degradation of the security situation” linked to jihadist bloodshed, as well as corruption and economic woes.
Former colonial ruler France and the European Union have suspended security cooperation and financial aid to Niger following the coup, while the United States warned that its aid could also be at stake.
At an emergency summit on Sunday the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) gave Tiani one week to reinstate the country’s democratically elected president and have threatened to use force if the demands aren’t met.
France has denied accusations from Niger’s coup leaders that Paris is plotting to intervene militarily, with Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna telling FRANCE 24 that “France’s only priority is the safety of our nationals”.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
