PH
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared on Tuesday that it will close its mission in Niamey indefinitely.
Citing what it considered to be serious obstacles to the embassy’s duties that violate the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, Paris released a statement.
“A blockade around the embassy, movement restrictions imposed on staff, and an entry ban on diplomatic personnel traveling to Niger” were among the measures specified by the ministry.
The consulates in West Africa will now be in charge of the consular operations that the embassy formerly oversaw.
Speculations had been rife particularly after French troops exited Niger in mid-December.
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs has released a statement stating that the Niger embassy will now operate out of Paris.
The diplomats will continue to communicate with French nationals residing in Niger and provide financial assistance to non-governmental organizations that aid the local populace.
Paris’s relations with Niamey deteriorated following the July military coup.
Sylvain Itté, the French ambassador, was asked to leave Nigerien at the end of August by the military authorities.
