The military rulers in Niger, following the recent coup, have formally requested that the United Nations coordinator in the West African nation vacate their position within 72 hours.
In an official statement released on Wednesday, October 11, the Nigerien foreign ministry announced that Louise Aubin, the UN’s resident and humanitarian coordinator, had been directed to promptly make arrangements to leave Niamey within the specified timeframe.
The statement highlighted the presence of certain “obstacles” attributed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, which were perceived as deliberate attempts to impede the comprehensive participation of Niger at the previous month’s United Nations General Assembly.
Expressing their discontent, the military regime denounced the “devious actions” undertaken by the UN chief, believing that they could potentially undermine any endeavors aimed at resolving the crisis within their country.
Bakary Yaou Sangare, who previously served as Niger’s ambassador to the UN before the coup, was designated by the junta as their representative for the aforementioned assembly.
However, the UN Chief revealed that the toppled government had also submitted an application to act as the official representative of Niamey.
Due to the conflicting credentials, a decision was postponed, resulting in no representative from Niger being included on the speakers’ list.
Simultaneously, the expulsion of the UN official coincides with France’s withdrawal of its 1,400-strong deployment from Niger, following an order from the coup leaders subsequent to the ousting of President Mohamed Bazoum.
