Countries have the right to expel foreign diplomats and embassies as long as they don’t arrest them or go through their stuff when they leave. The newly couped Niger junta requested the French ambassador leave and revoked his visa, but the French are still refusing to leave, claiming that because they don’t recognize the legitimacy of the new junta, they don’t have to follow the junta’s orders to leave. Regardless of your opinion of the new junta, in how does a former colonial power be in the right when they are blatantly ignoring the legal rights and sovereignty of their independent former colony’s government that is doing things by the book? They stopped sending the ambassador food and are confining him to his embassy until he leaves, especially given the current junta that is extremely gentle treatment
The problem with your picture is that you’re calling the junta a sovereign and independent government doing things by the book. They’re army personel that took power from the elected government at gunpoint.
It might be so that France will have to accept the new dictatorship one day, but historically more than one such coup has failed days or weeks after. If France were to accept the dictatorship from day one that would be seen as throwing in the towel and dooming any chance of the democratic government regaining power…
My understanding is that the majority of the population supports the coup even when the poll is done by biased media opposed to the coup like the Economist or Forbes. If the majority of people supported overthrowing the government then it doesn’t seem like an actual democracy. At least, its not something imposed on the people against their will.
I guess its a matter of perspective where if you care about the will of the people or if you care about power being transfered via elections even if the elections aren’t for anyone who represents the people. I definatley don’t like the second option but some people do feel that way I suppose.
Can’t find such poll on Forbes or the Economist, could you give it a link?
Sure :)
Here is an image of the poll https://hexbear.net/pictrs/image/b4bd0c20-8521-465f-955e-522fd5a3abfc.png
Here is the actual article, but you’d have to pay the Economist to see the whole thing. https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2023/08/07/after-nigers-coup-the-drums-of-war-are-growing-louder
Upon actually finding the specific poll I was talking about, it is actually that the vast majority of people in Niger feel the coup should remain in power, which is technically not the same thing as saying they wanted it to happen. However you can look around and find that support for the coup is very high. Niger’s government was not popular. Only 21% of people polled by this very hostile to the coup source wanted the old president to be restored to power.
These findings are not necessarily representative of opinion across the country because the poll was conducted quickly, with a small sample, made up mainly of men in the capital.
As stated in the actual The Economist article. So I won’t say like you do that “a vast majority of people in Niger” support the coup.
Even so, it provides an indication of the mood.
I do agree with that. It is unfortunate that such an anti-occident sentiment grew there, but it is understandable considering France (and many European countries) colonial past.
Still to call for the Russian, considering all the war crimes they are accused of (and the massive number of proofs already gathered), is kinda worrying for their safety.
Major thing is that Wagner/Russia is prepared to take the gloves off in fighting islamists. Slaughtering villages or regions that support islamist groups is something western powers are very afraid off, while the locals prefer it and Russia dgaf.
The poll these publications refer to isn’t done by themselves. Whoever told you this is lying.
And it’s apparently based on a few hundred respondents from the capital.
Not saying there’s better sources available but it seems you’ve been largely misled on this
It really seems like a distinction without a difference since its on their site. The capital is going to be where the supporters of the old regime are. Its a biased poll designed to get a result in favor of the old government and it failed.
I don’t remember who elected France as the ruler who define and protect democracy in the world. Not accepting the new government and applying sanctions is OK, refusing to leave the country no.
And this is worse than if you remember how usually countries remove their embassadors from conflict zones, Macron is just provoking to make an excuse to an UN intervention or wide applied sanctions after their allied government was deposed.
Do you believe Macron thinks he’s going to convince Putin to approve UN intervention in Niger?
No, i believe Macron just want peace and democracy (and just for Niger and none of the other allied dictatorships)
I don’t think he cares about that, more so his economic interests
Damn. I think they should still give food, but yeah he should gtfo.
People keep blaming Russia as if Africans are somehow incapable of making their own decisions. The reality is Africans are tired of French neo colonialism. Niger is a perfect example. They were selling france uranium for $0.8/kg when the market price is $200. That’s Niger’s resources going to power French power plants, while the people of Niger are struggling to survive. Fuck that shit.
Any source for said price?
Edit: Better known source says it is a baseless rumor circulating on social medias
Some accounts on social media are now circulating the claim that Niger has lifted prices from €0.80 per kilogram to €200. So far, there is no evidence for this beyond themselves quoting each other. The claim seems to trace back to a small digital outlet in Nigeria. Embarrassingly, the website has been confused as being from Niger itself.
Sources (as shared by @goo@lemm.ee) : https://www.forbes.com/sites/eliasferrerbreda/2023/09/12/more-rumours-what-is-really-happening-with-nigers-uranium/
The average global price of Uranium per pound, in 2022, was $40.77 USD. Let’s convert it to kilograms.
2.205 pounds ~= 1 KG
2.205 * 40.77 = 89.89785 (~90 USD per KG)In 2022, Niger supplied 20% of France’s uranium.
Sources:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/260005/monthly-uranium-price/
Please note that I’m not taking sides; I was simply curious about the actual numbers, so I’m sharing them here in the hope that someone finds them interesting.
Questionable sites, not even going to link them. But Forbes states the following:
Some accounts on social media are now circulating the claim that Niger has lifted prices from €0.80 per kilogram to €200. So far, there is no evidence for this beyond themselves quoting each other. The claim seems to trace back to a small digital outlet in Nigeria. Embarrassingly, the website has been confused as being from Niger itself.
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Can’t take this as reliable source. It just quote another article that doesn’t even have a source linked.
Yeah, that number seems to be contested: https://www.forbes.com/sites/eliasferrerbreda/2023/09/12/more-rumours-what-is-really-happening-with-nigers-uranium/
I should have eyeballed more of the search results.
At least you looked further than some.
Ok even looking at market prices of uranium, around $80/kg, Niger is still selling at 100 times cheaper than market rates to france. That is ridiculous.
Problem is that there is no proof that Niger ever sold at this price.
Just a random news website quoting no source. No document, no testimony.
That looks an awful like a fake news trying badly to push a false narative, at least to me.
The 0.8/kg is quite well documented, not just a single source.
Considering I never saw those documents, mind to link to some of those sources?
Itte is still working, according to French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna. “The ambassador is working, I can confirm that, and he is very useful through his contacts, his team, there is still a small team with him,” said Colonna in an interview with French TV channel LCI. Colonna added that Itte “will stay as long as we want him to stay,” and that his return is Macron’s decision.
I don’t think it’s going to turn out well for the ambassador.
Since harming an ambassador might be considered an act of war, and the coup leaders are not idiots, I’m sure he’ll be fine.
Is denying food and treats to the ambassador not considered harm? The way Macron is talking it would seem so.
he has food in form of army rations, so for now he’s fine
The rations:
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that looks pretty damn good 😅
Just missing the bread which I’m sure is available in the schools where they serve this.
PS my French school lunches never looked quite that nice…
That image comes from a comparison of children’s school lunches from around the world. I have no idea how representative it is of either meals in the French embassy currently, or French army rations.
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You serously think Russia is playing 4D chess still, after they’ve shown to be unable to play even checkers??
… K.
Pushing Africa against the west and using brutal military contractors to secure resources is something Russia has been engaged in before Ukraine. I don’t think there actions here a 4D chess, just business as usual.
It’s 2D Red Alert
yeah I can see this connection too
Why does it have to be Russia? What if this African nation is tired of subsidizing the lifestyle of a foreign power to the detriment of its own people?
Oh look, a reason to invade. How nice for Macron!
This is an interesting move by France. The Junta expelled their diplomatic staff as part of the justification that France is a neocolonial power interfering with the country. The Junta benefits because having him there cements that bit of propaganda. Hopefully the locals don’t get riled up enough to storm the place once that propaganda gets too effective.
The French version of Fortunate Son starts playing from distant loud speakers attached to France’s Eurocopter Tigers
I wonder if russia has some stakes in this…
He should have left when asked
hahahahhahahahahahahahhahahahaha
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Are people from Niger really called Nigerians? Isn’t that a different country?
The demonym for Niger is ‘Nigerien’, but it’s an understandable mistake in spelling since the difference in pronunciation isn’t really in the ‘-ian’/‘-ien’ part.
Are you for real? What a POS. How about you say where you’re from so we can discuss your country’s war crimes.
France it is not the savior of the world, they should have left but are too colonialist and have too many business there to leave. If you are OK with what for France are trying to do here you have no stands to criticize what Russian did to Ukraine. Both were trying to justify the invasion of another country. Macron is even willing to kill his embassador to do it. There is no such things of “I disagree with the new head of state” and Europe should stop believe they have higher moral stand to choose which country is “democratic enough” to them, when you stop the colonialism and proxy wars maybe Africans can organize themselves.
I think Macron is an asshole, yet I don’t condone terrorism. These are not conflicting views.
Effectively sieging the embassy is terrorism, this isn’t about colonialism at all.
After a embassador is expelled and had his visa canceled he is not an embassador anymore, he had a time to leave but he decides to stay and became at the best an illegal immigrant, at the worst an international agent.
?
Obviously not.
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