What's the reason behind France's vocal opposition to Niger's coup leaders? On Wednesday, July 26, President Mohamed Bazoum was overthrown by General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the former head of the presidential guard. Since then, France has actively called for Bazoum to be released and reinstated. And while the country is not intervening directly in the crisis, it supports a possible armed intervention by ECOWAS, the West African regional bloc, against the coup leaders, who take an anti-French position. On August 25, the military rulers gave the French ambassador Sylvain Itté 48 hours to leave the country. Paris rejected the ultimatum, saying that it didn't recognize the junta's authority.
Why is France acting in this way, when other countries, such as the United States, have adopted a more flexible line? France is the foreign country with the largest number of soldiers (around 1,500) in Niger, some of whom have left Mali and Burkina Faso in recent years. The country also has certain economic interests in Niger, including uranium mining.
We explain the history of France's involvement in Niger and its current political and economic interests in the West African country in this three-minute video.
Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.