Erdogan said that Africans "have completely halted the shipment of gold and uranium to France" because of the oppression conducted against the countries of the continent over the years. He also noted that this is not a first on account of France, adding that in the past, it had carried out practices in Algeria, Rwanda and Mali, which went down in the records of the entire world.
Speaking to reporters after a Friday prayer in Istanbul, the Turkish president said that his country was working to preserve good relations with African countries.
Multiple media outlets reported this week that rebel leaders in the former French colony ordered an end to commodity exports to France and also to the United States. French energy company Orano, which operates uranium mines in Niger, denied those claims on Tuesday and again on Thursday, saying its local teams were "ensuring business continuity" at Arlit and Akokan mines.
The presidential guard toppled the French-backed president in Niger last week, seizing control over the uranium-rich country. Niger supplies up to 17% of uranium needs in France, which relies on nuclear energy for power generation in the absence of cheap Russian fossil fuel.
On July 26, the Nigerien presidential guard overthrown President Mohamed Bazoum. Following the coup, France started evacuating its citizens and other European nationals. On Tuesday, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell also said that the European Union had decided to evacuate all its citizens from Niger.