On Monday, the chief of French diplomacy, Catherine Colonna, refuted claims made by the Nigerian junta that France wanted to “intervene militarily” in the nation. She declared on the BFM station that it was fake.

The French Minister of Foreign Affairs also responded to the anti-French slogans that prominently proliferated during a demonstration on Sunday in front of the French Embassy in Niamey by saying, “We must dismantle the intox and not fall into the trap.”

He claimed, “We saw an organized, not spontaneous, violent, extremely dangerous demonstration with molotov cocktails, Russian flags that appeared, and anti-French slogans copied and pasted from what we can have elsewhere.” Sadly, she observed that “all the usual ingredients of Russian-African destabilization” were present.

While the security of the French Embassy in Niamey has been improved, Catherine Colonna noted that “the security of its nationals” remained France’s top priority. She also believed that it was “possible” to reinstate President Mohamed Bazoum, who had been chosen democratically. She added, “And it is necessary because these destabilizations pose a threat to Niger and its neighbors.”

At the Élysée, it is stated that President Emmanuel Macron “actively follows the current situation”.

“He was able to exchange on several occasions with Presidents Bazoum and Issouffou, as well as with the Heads of State of ECOWAS, especially the Presidents of Nigeria, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, and Senegal, and (with) our European and international partners involved in the resolution of the Niger crisis”,

The military coup was loudly denounced and the “restoration of constitutional order” was demanded at the Quai d’Orsay, just as it was at the Élysée.