French ambassador is being 'held hostage at the French embassy' in Niger, says Macron

alphacyberranger@sh.itjust.works to World News@lemmy.world – 305 points –
French ambassador is being 'held hostage at the French embassy' in Niger, says Macron | CNN
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Countries have the right to expel foreign diplomats and embassies as long as they don't arrest them or go through their stuff when they leave. The newly couped Niger junta requested the French ambassador leave and revoked his visa, but the French are still refusing to leave, claiming that because they don't recognize the legitimacy of the new junta, they don't have to follow the junta's orders to leave. Regardless of your opinion of the new junta, in how does a former colonial power be in the right when they are blatantly ignoring the legal rights and sovereignty of their independent former colony's government that is doing things by the book? They stopped sending the ambassador food and are confining him to his embassy until he leaves, especially given the current junta that is extremely gentle treatment

The problem with your picture is that you're calling the junta a sovereign and independent government doing things by the book. They're army personel that took power from the elected government at gunpoint.

It might be so that France will have to accept the new dictatorship one day, but historically more than one such coup has failed days or weeks after. If France were to accept the dictatorship from day one that would be seen as throwing in the towel and dooming any chance of the democratic government regaining power...

I don't remember who elected France as the ruler who define and protect democracy in the world. Not accepting the new government and applying sanctions is OK, refusing to leave the country no.

And this is worse than if you remember how usually countries remove their embassadors from conflict zones, Macron is just provoking to make an excuse to an UN intervention or wide applied sanctions after their allied government was deposed.

Do you believe Macron thinks he's going to convince Putin to approve UN intervention in Niger?

No, i believe Macron just want peace and democracy (and just for Niger and none of the other allied dictatorships)

I don't think he cares about that, more so his economic interests

Damn. I think they should still give food, but yeah he should gtfo.

Itte is still working, according to French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna. “The ambassador is working, I can confirm that, and he is very useful through his contacts, his team, there is still a small team with him,” said Colonna in an interview with French TV channel LCI. Colonna added that Itte “will stay as long as we want him to stay,” and that his return is Macron’s decision.

I don't think it's going to turn out well for the ambassador.

Since harming an ambassador might be considered an act of war, and the coup leaders are not idiots, I'm sure he'll be fine.

Is denying food and treats to the ambassador not considered harm? The way Macron is talking it would seem so.

he has food in form of army rations, so for now he's fine

The rations: image

that looks pretty damn good 😅

Just missing the bread which I'm sure is available in the schools where they serve this.

PS my French school lunches never looked quite that nice..

That image comes from a comparison of children’s school lunches from around the world. I have no idea how representative it is of either meals in the French embassy currently, or French army rations.

People keep blaming Russia as if Africans are somehow incapable of making their own decisions. The reality is Africans are tired of French neo colonialism. Niger is a perfect example. They were selling france uranium for $0.8/kg when the market price is $200. That's Niger's resources going to power French power plants, while the people of Niger are struggling to survive. Fuck that shit.

Any source for said price?

Edit: Better known source says it is a baseless rumor circulating on social medias

Some accounts on social media are now circulating the claim that Niger has lifted prices from €0.80 per kilogram to €200. So far, there is no evidence for this beyond themselves quoting each other. The claim seems to trace back to a small digital outlet in Nigeria. Embarrassingly, the website has been confused as being from Niger itself.

Sources (as shared by @goo@lemm.ee) : https://www.forbes.com/sites/eliasferrerbreda/2023/09/12/more-rumours-what-is-really-happening-with-nigers-uranium/

The average global price of Uranium per pound, in 2022, was $40.77 USD. Let's convert it to kilograms.

2.205 pounds ~= 1 KG
2.205 * 40.77 = 89.89785 (~90 USD per KG)

In 2022, Niger supplied 20% of France's uranium.

Sources:

https://www.statista.com/statistics/260005/monthly-uranium-price/

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/les-decodeurs/article/2023/08/04/how-dependent-is-france-on-niger-s-uranium\_6080772\_8.html


Please note that I'm not taking sides; I was simply curious about the actual numbers, so I'm sharing them here in the hope that someone finds them interesting.

Questionable sites, not even going to link them. But Forbes states the following:

Some accounts on social media are now circulating the claim that Niger has lifted prices from €0.80 per kilogram to €200. So far, there is no evidence for this beyond themselves quoting each other. The claim seems to trace back to a small digital outlet in Nigeria. Embarrassingly, the website has been confused as being from Niger itself.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/eliasferrerbreda/2023/09/12/more-rumours-what-is-really-happening-with-nigers-uranium/

Ok even looking at market prices of uranium, around $80/kg, Niger is still selling at 100 times cheaper than market rates to france. That is ridiculous.

Problem is that there is no proof that Niger ever sold at this price.

Just a random news website quoting no source. No document, no testimony.

That looks an awful like a fake news trying badly to push a false narative, at least to me.

The 0.8/kg is quite well documented, not just a single source.

Considering I never saw those documents, mind to link to some of those sources?

4 more...
4 more...

Oh look, a reason to invade. How nice for Macron!

This is an interesting move by France. The Junta expelled their diplomatic staff as part of the justification that France is a neocolonial power interfering with the country. The Junta benefits because having him there cements that bit of propaganda. Hopefully the locals don't get riled up enough to storm the place once that propaganda gets too effective.

The French version of Fortunate Son starts playing from distant loud speakers attached to France's Eurocopter Tigers

I wonder if russia has some stakes in this...

hahahahhahahahahahahahhahahahaha