By Milcah Tanimu
In a statement dated Tuesday, Niger’s post-coup military rulers have called for the United Nations coordinator, Louise Aubin, to leave the country within 72 hours, as revealed by AFP on Wednesday.
The statement from Niger’s foreign ministry cited “obstacles” it claimed were posed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, with the intent of obstructing Niger’s full participation at the UN General Assembly held last month.
The military regime had previously criticized the actions of the UN chief, labeling them as potentially undermining efforts to resolve the country’s crisis.
Bakary Yaou Sangare, who served as Niger’s ambassador to the UN before the coup and is now the foreign minister under the new leadership, was designated as the representative for the military regime at the UN General Assembly. However, due to conflicting credentials, no representative from Niger was added to the speakers’ list.
The decision to expel the UN official comes as France is withdrawing its 1,400-strong contingent from Niger, following an order from the coup leaders. The coup led to the removal of President Mohamed Bazoum, who was an ally of Paris, and subsequently, France’s ambassador to Niger was also instructed to leave.
