Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 Around a month after Niger's military government ordered his expulsion, France's ambassador
00:06 has left the country.
00:08 Two security sources in Niger said Sylvain Itay flew out of the country early on Wednesday
00:13 morning.
00:14 That news was later confirmed by the president's office in Paris.
00:19 Relations between Niger and its former colonial ruler have broken down since army officers
00:24 seized power in July.
00:27 At the end of August, Niger's junta ordered Itay to leave the country within 48 hours.
00:34 That was in response to what they described as actions by France that were "contrary to
00:39 the interests of Niger."
00:43 France at first ignored the order.
00:47 Its stance is that the military government is illegitimate and it's been calling for
00:51 the reinstatement of elected president Mohamed Bouzoum.
00:54 And on Sunday, President Emmanuel Macron announced that the ambassador would leave.
00:59 He had said Itay and his staff were effectively being held hostage at the embassy.
01:05 Macron also said on Sunday that France's 1,500 troops in the country would leave by the end
01:10 of the year.
01:13 They were there as part of the fight against insurgents linked to Islamic State and al-Qaeda
01:18 in the Sahel region.
01:20 There have been almost daily protests against France and Niger since the military took power,
01:26 with crowds of junta supporters camping outside a French military base demanding the troops'
01:31 departure.
01:31 [MUSIC PLAYING]