Speaking to RFI, French Foreign Minister Christine Colonna urged the leaders of a coup in Niger to abandon their takeover attempt before a deadline set by the West African bloc Ecowas expires on Sunday. She said the threat of regional military intervention should be taken "very seriously".
Ecowas has given the junta until Sunday to reinstate the elected president of Niger or face the potential use of force.
With hours to go until the ultimatum, Colonna met Niger's official prime minister, Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou, in Paris on Saturday.
Military officers claim to have deposed Mahamadou and President Mohamed Bazoum, and replaced the government with a military council.
Bazoum remains at his palace in Niamey, where members of the presidential guard have been holding him captive since 26 July.
"The international community, like the other countries in the region, are unanimous in condemning this attempt, this adventure led by a part of the military in Niger," Colonna told RFI following her meeting with Mahamadou, whose government France considers the only legitimate power in Niger.
The foreign minister said that the threat of a military intervention by Ecowas "must be taken very seriously".
'Adventurism'
While France backs the regional bloc's efforts to apply pressure, Colonna stressed that it was not involved in plans for military action.
Ecowas said on Friday that it had agreed on a contingency plan for a possible intervention. That includes "the resources needed, and including the how and when we are going to deploy the force", according to Ecowas commissioner Abdel-Fatau Musah.
"The unanimous request of the international community is, I repeat, to restore democracy immediately and before the deadline set by the other countries in the region expires tomorrow," Colonna said.
"So they have until tomorrow to abandon this adventurism, these personal adventures, and restore democracy in Niger."
The junta in Niger has warned that it will meet force with force.
Mali and Burkina Faso, where military leaders have also taken power in coups since 2020, have warned any regional intervention would be tantamount to a "declaration of war" against them.
Fears for civil liberties
France has suspended civil and military cooperation with Niger, which until recently was its primary partner in the fight against jihadists in the Sahel region. Around 1,500 French troops are based there.
Niger's new junta said it had suspended military pacts with France, a decision that Paris says it is not entitled to make.
"Obviously we don't recognise decisions taken by putschists, we only recognise the decisions of legitimate authorities," Colonna said.
The minister said France was also concerned about "the repression underway" in Niger, including attacks on the freedom of the press and arrests of government officials.
Broadcasts by RFI and its sister TV station France24 have been blocked in the country, while several local reporters have reported being threatened or attacked.
Meanwhile several senior politicians have been detained, including the minister for mining, the head of the ruling party and the oil minister, among others.
"Niger elected its president democratically and it must return to constitutional order – the will of the Nigerien people must be respected," Colonna said.
"That is the message from France, from the countries in the region, from the United Nations and the entire international community. There is no place for coups d'état."
