French President Emmanuel Macron stated on Friday that he engages in daily communication with the ousted Nigerien president, Mohamed Bazoum, reiterating France’s support for the president who was overthrown in a coup on July 26th.
Macron also noted that the situation in Niger is vastly different from what transpired in Gabon. He remarked, “I talk every day to President Bazoum. We support him. We do not recognize those who carried out the coup. Whatever decisions we take, they will be based on our dialogue with Bazoum.”
In contrast, the ruling military regime in Niger condemned what they termed as “additional interference” by France. The spokesperson for the regime, Colonel Amadou Abdoul Rahman, in a statement aired on national television, expressed that “the government of the Republic of Niger has followed with dismay the statements made by the President of the French Republic on Monday, August 28, 2023 (…) these statements constitute blatant additional interference in the internal affairs of Niger.”