The French embassy in Niger's capital Niamey will remain closed indefinitely, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared on Tuesday.
The ministry listed the following reasons for the closure:
"For the past five months, our Embassy has been subjected to major obstacles that have made it impossible to do its job: a blockade around the Embassy, restrictions on employee movements, and the turning away of all diplomatic personnel who were supposed to arrive in Niger," the statement said.
According to the announcement, the activities of the Niger embassy will now be carried out from Paris.
Furthermore, the diplomatic envoys will maintain connections with French nationals in Niger and provide financial assistance to non-governmental organizations operating in the humanitarian field to help the local communities.
At the end of December, the French ambassador to Niger, Sylvain Itte, stated in a letter that the French diplomatic mission was unable to carry out its full range of responsibilities due to the restrictions imposed on the embassy by the new Nigerien authorities following the July coup d'état in the nation.
The decision was taken shortly before the departure of the last French troops stationed in Niger, who were withdrawn from the country at the request of the new Nigerien leadership.
Following the military coup in Niger on July 26, there were widespread protests against France, reflecting the local population's rebuttal of their former colonial ruler and demanding the withdrawal of French forces.