The French government on Wednesday denied accusations by the junta that France had violated its airspace and “liberated terrorists” in the country. Earlier in the day, the son of Niger's ambassador to France was taken into custody in Niamey. It remains unclear whether his detention is linked to his involvement in an ongoing anti-corruption case or because his mother refuses to follow the junta’s orders and quit her post as ambassador. Read our liveblog to see how the day's events unfolded. All times are Paris time (GMT + 2).
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11:17pm: Sissoco Embalo: ECOWAS future 'at risk' over Niger crisis
Addressing reporters before flying to Abuja, Nigeria, for an ECOWAS meeting Thursday, President Umaro Sissoco Embalo said the deposed Nigerien president Mohamed Bazoum was that country's only legitimate leader.
Embalo also said that following putsches in three other ECOWAS member states since 2020, the regional bloc's future could be in doubt.
"The situation that ECOWAS is going through is really worrying – this organisation has so far been the safest, the strongest on the whole continent", he said. "Today, we run the risk of making it disappear".
10:24pm: Niger junta met two envoys from Nigeria’s presidency in capital Niamey, source says
Niger’s junta met with two envoys of Nigerian President and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) chair Bola Tinubu in the capital Niamey on Wednesday, a Nigerian government source said.
It remains unclear what was discussed during the meetings.
10:18pm: US ‘greatly worried’ about detained President Bazoum’s health
The United States voiced concern Wednesday about the health of Niger’s detained president after Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to him by telephone.
“We are greatly worried about his health and his personal safety and the personal safety of his family,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.
Miller declined to offer details from Blinken’s call, which took place late Tuesday US time, but said health concerns were one reason why Blinken’s acting deputy, Victoria Nuland, had unsuccessfully sought to see Bazoum during an unannounced visit on Monday.
“As time goes on, as he’s held in isolation, it’s a situation that is of growing concern to us,” Miller said.
6:39pm: ‘Fast-moving situation’ in Niger amid junta’s allegations against France
Reporting from neighbouring Benin, FRANCE 24’s senior reporter Catherine Norris-Trent described the current situation in Niger, and in particular the junta’s allegations against France, as “fast-moving”.
“The junta in Niger has today put out a statement accusing France of several things: of having a plan to destabilise Niger, of breaching its airspace by flying in a military plane from Chad and of releasing and supporting terrorists in the country as well as attacking a guard post,” she said.
Citing a source close to the French government, Norris-Trent said Paris had “firmly denied” the allegations.
“[They] said that they had flown a plane in but that was in agreement with the Nigerien army and categorically denied having released any terrorists.”
Watch her full report by clicking on the video below:
6:07pm: France rejects Niger accusations over liberating ‘terrorists’, violating air space
The French government rejects accusations by Niger’s new military rulers that it freed “terrorists” and violated the country’s air space, a government source said Wednesday.
Niamey accused France of having released several jihadists, and had also allowed a military plane take off despite an ongoing air space closure.
3:01pm: President Bazoum and his family experiencing grim living conditions
Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum and his family are running out of food and experiencing other shocking conditions, a statement issued by Bazoum’s political party stated Wednesday.
According to the statement, the president’s family, which has been under house arrest for the past two weeks, has been without both electricity and running water for a week, and only has dried and canned foods left to eat.
An advisor who spoke with the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity said Bazoum remains in good health.
12:18pm: Son of Niger ambassador to France detained in Niamey
The son of Niger's ambassador to France, Idrissa Kané, has been detained in Niamey, the ambassador told AFP on Wednesday.
Kané is general manager of Niger’s Post Office and involved in a case of alleged misappropriation of public funds being handled by the Niger’s anti-corruption body, Halcia.
It is unclear whether he was taken into custody due to this case or to his mother's defiant attitude towards Niger’s new military leaders.
Ambassador Aïchatou Boulama Kané has remained in her post despite a declaration from the coup leaders on Thursday that it was "terminating" roles for Niger's ambassadors to France, the United States, Nigeria and Togo.
Ambassador Kané told AFP on Friday that she was "still the ambassador of the legitimate President Bazoum Mohamed".
She said the decision to terminate her role was "null and void, it was taken by an illegitimate power. I am the ambassador of Niger in France”.
1:11pm: Blinken discussed US diplomat's visit to Niger in call with Bazoum
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum on Tuesday about a visit to the country's capital by American diplomat Victoria Nuland, the State Department said.
"The two discussed Acting Deputy Secretary Nuland’s recent trip to Niamey and the secretary conveyed the United States’ ongoing support for a solution that restores Niger to democratic rule and constitutional order," the department said in a statement Wednesday. "The secretary also emphasized that the safety and security of President Bazoum and his family are paramount."
11:10am: Former Niger rebel creates movement to reinstate ousted President Bazoum
A former rebel leader and politician in Niger, Rhissa Ag Boula, has created a political movement called the Council of Resistance for the Republic (CRR) to restore ousted President Mohamed Bazoum to power, he said in a statement on Wednesday.
The movement will support international efforts to restore constitutional order in Niger, the statement said, in the first sign of internal resistance to a July military coup.
9:01am: ECOWAS leaders mull next move after Niger junta refuses delegation visit
Attempts at diplomacy seem to have stalled in Niger after coup leaders on Tuesday refused to host an ECOWAS delegation, citing security concerns due to public anger over ECOWAS economic sanctions already in place.
“Negotiations are at a difficult point,” says FRANCE 24’s Catherine Norris-Trent, reporting from Cotonou, Benin. “Heads of state from ECOWAS will be meeting in Abuja [Nigeria] this Thursday… we’ll have to wait and see what comes out of that [meeting].”
8:30am: Niger sanctions, airspace closure set to hit country’s poor
Some 4.3 million people in Niger are in need of aid including access to food, medicine and basic goods, according to the UN – a figure that is likely to rise as international sanctions come into effect following the military coup that ousted President Bazoum from power.
The junta’s decision on Sunday to close Niger’s airspace is also complicating efforts to bring humanitarian aid into the country, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Niger Louise Aubin told FRANCE 24. “This has certainly interrupted some of our humanitarian operations, given that we’re so reliant on having to cover vast space – it’s a huge country.”
6:02am: Blinken reiterates calls for release of Nigerien President Bazoum
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said late on Tuesday that he had spoken to Niger President Mohamed Bazoum to express continued efforts to find a peaceful resolution to the constitutional crisis in the West African country.
"The United States reiterates our call for the immediate release of him and his family," he posted on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
Key developments from Tuesday, August 8:
Coup leaders in Niger named Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine as the country’s new prime minister in a statement read out on national television.
The military junta later informed ECOWAS that it cannot host a delegation from the West African regional bloc, citing reasons of security due to what it characterised as widespread anger among the Nigerien population following sanctions imposed by the bloc.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Russia's Wagner mercenaries are taking advantage of instability in coup-hit Niger, whose neighbor Mali has become a partner of Moscow.
Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu has ordered new financial sanctions on Niger through Nigeria's central bank, targeting entities and individuals involved in last month's military coup, his spokesman Ajuri Ngelale said on Tuesday.
Read yesterday's live blog to see how the day's events unfolded.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
