The Niger military government has said that it did not expel Nigeria’s ambassador from the country amidst confusion over reports to the contrary.
Late in the week, the Niger Foreign Affairs Ministry released a statement officially announcing the expulsion of some Western diplomats, including the Nigerian ambassador, Mohammed Usman, and the German ambassador, Olivier Schnakenberg.
According to the statement from Niamey, the order of expulsion was a response to the refusal by some ambassadors to honor the invitation sent to them.
It also says that other actions were considered, especially ones that impugn Niger’s interests, before the decision was made. The statement issued has given the affected ambassadors 48 hours to leave the country.
It could be recalled that the Nigerien military government had earlier issued an order sacking the French ambassador, saying that it had only 48 hours to spare.
The statements made to advance this gale of expulsions of ambassadors by the Niger military junta came in separate statements and at different times.
There have been questions as to whether the statement earlier released was true, as the Nigerien authorities, through the foreign affairs ministry, have denied the earlier statement, saying they did not order the expulsions.
The statement said, “Contrary to the information deliberately distilled on social networks that reports a decision by the Nigerien authorities ordering the Ambassadors of Germany, Nigeria, and the United States of America to leave Nigerien territory within 48 hours, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation, African Integration, and Nigeriens Abroad specifies that the said information is false and that only the Ambassador of France in Niger is declared persona non grata.”
The statement further stated that Niger is a sovereign state that has the will to determine its future, while calling on all the countries that are still unsettled over Niger’s current status to know that the country does not need to invoke provisions of the 1961 Vienna Convention to exercise its rights.
Nigerien officials say that the reports were false and have come as an embarrassment to the military junta.
They stated that it was the embarrassment that led to a swift counter-response from the foreign affairs ministry.
On July 26, 2023, Niger’s presidential guard commander, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, led a coup against the president, Mohammed Bazoum, leading to the emergence of a new military junta.
