Niger’s junta insists the U.N. mission leader departs in 72 hours, alleging the U.N.’s exclusion of Niger from the General Assembly last month.
The army officers, who took control through a July coup, were conspicuously absent from the gathering of global leaders in New York. In an October 10 statement, Niger’s foreign ministry alleged that the U.N., with suspected French influence, engaged in covert tactics to hinder Niger’s complete engagement in the U.N. General Assembly, along with subsequent meetings of U.N. agencies in Vienna and Riyadh.
The junta’s actions align with a familiar trend observed in neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso, both of which exhibited hostility toward the United Nations and their former colonial ruler, France, following military takeovers.
These three nations grapple with an escalating Islamist insurgency, leading to power shifts initiated by military officials who pledged to enhance security.
These coups have been marked by allegations of excessive French influence in their former colonies, prompting a pivot towards Russia as a strategic ally. France, however, refutes claims of exerting unwarranted influence.