William Molinié, edited by Loane Nader // photo credit: AFP
Last Friday, the military power, at the origin of the coup d’état in Niger at the end of July, summoned the French ambassador to leave the territory within 48 hours. The latter, however, remains faithful to the position, as required by the orders issued by the French executive. He remains cloistered and under close surveillance in his embassy in Niamey.
The French ambassador to Niger is currently cloistered in his embassy in Niamey and placed under close surveillance, after the military forces behind the putsch on July 26 demanded his return to France within 48 hours last Friday. Paris has sent three soldiers from the elite gendarmerie unit to provide 24-hour security. The latter are thus three protectors of high personalities, commonly called the “PHPs”, specialized in close security.
A particularly “tense” context
Their missions also consist of orchestrating the diplomat’s return trips between the French Embassy and the squadron in the east of the capital, where the French military base is located. 1,500 soldiers are stationed there, including special forces responsible for exfiltrating the last French people present in the country, including the consular representation, in case the situation degenerates. “The context is tense”, recognizes a Parisian diplomatic source. Discreetly, French soldiers took up positions in and around the embassy.
They fear violent anti-French demonstrations, piloted behind the scenes by the putschists. A Nigerien security source, however, assures Europe 1 that everything is under control and that reinforcements of police and gendarmes have been sent to the embassy district.