Niger's military junta issued an order on August 25 for the French ambassador in Niamey to depart the country within the next 48 hours, as reported by the Nigerien Foreign Ministry.
In an official statement released through the state-controlled broadcaster ORTN, the Nigerien Foreign Ministry communicated that Ambassador Sylvain Itte declined to attend a scheduled meeting on August 25 with the nation's foreign minister.
Citing this refusal as well as "other actions by the French government that are contrary to Niger's interests," the ministry conveyed that Nigerien authorities had revoked Itte's diplomatic credentials.
Late on August 25, the French Foreign Ministry responded to the junta's request, stating to AFP, "France acknowledges the demand made by the coup leaders. However, the authority to make such a demand lies solely with the legitimate and elected authorities of Niger, from whom the ambassador's accreditation is derived."
CNN has attempted to reach out to the French Foreign Ministry for additional comments. Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department issued a statement on August 25 evening confirming that Niger's Ministry of Foreign Affairs had alerted them to the presence of "letters circulating on the internet calling for the departure of certain American diplomatic personnel."
However, the statement clarified that these letters "did not originate from the ministry" and that no official request of this nature had been submitted to the U.S. government.
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