Niger requests UN representative to leave

The group has prevented Niger from fully participating in international events, according to the leaders of the coup in Niger.

The military administration of Niger has given Louise Aubin, the nation’s resident UN coordinator, 72 hours to depart Niamey. The expulsion was announced in a statement on Tuesday in reaction to charges made by the authorities that the international organisation was meddling in Niger’s diplomatic affairs, specifically by barring it from attending conferences abroad.

Nigerien’s foreign ministry charged that the UN had engaged in “underhanded manoeuvres” at France’s request to keep the West African nation from fully participating in the proceedings of the 78th General Assembly session of the UN, which took place in New York last month.

The 4th Extraordinary Congress of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) from October 1 to 5, 2023, in Riyadh (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), and this sponsored sabotage continued in Vienna on the occasion of the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] General Conference from September 25 to 29, 2023, in Vienna, according to the ministry.

The ministry claimed that the government chose to revoke Aubin’s mandate because the UN Secretary-General’s actions were meant to hurt Niger and its citizens.

The notification instructed the envoy to “take all necessary steps to leave Niamey” within three days.

READ ALSO: French forces start to leave Niger

Since the new authorities assumed control in July following the coup that overthrew pro-Western President Mohamed Bazoum, tensions between Niger and its foreign friends and regional allies have been high.

The leaders of the coup have already ejected the French ambassador and cancelled military cooperation agreements with France. This week, at the request of the military rulers, whose authority the French government has frequently questioned, Paris started to remove almost 1,500 troops from Niger.

The July military takeover of Niger, which the US administration, which has about 1,000 soldiers stationed there, only formally referred to as a “coup d’état” on Tuesday.

Additionally, Washington stated that it was stopping “most” of its aid to the African nation. The US cut off almost $200 million in foreign funding to Niger earlier in August. These programmes, as well as the $302 million Niger Regional Transportation Compact project and other initiatives, were suspended until further notice, according to a Tuesday announcement from the State Department.