PARIS (Reuters) – France said on Wednesday it condemned any attempt to seize power through violence in Niger, where presidential guards were holding President Mohamed Bazoum inside his palace in the capital Niamey.
In recent months France has been forced to redefine the country’s strategy to fight Islamist militants in the Sahel after thousands of troops completed a withdrawal from Mali and concerns mount over the growing threat to coastal West African states.
Coups in Mali, Chad and Burkina Faso have weakened France’s alliances in its former colonies, emboldened jihadists who control large swathes of desert and scrubland, and opened the door to greater Russian influence.
Key to its strategy has been to move troops to Niger, which it has considered its main ally in the region and the best launch pad for operations against militants in the border regions connecting Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Anne-Claire Legendre said Paris was watching the situation carefully, but “condemned attempts to take power by force.”
France, she said, joined African Union calls to restore the integrity of democratic institutions.
An updated travel advisory from the ministry said French citizens, of which there are about 1,200, should remain vigilant and limit their movements in the capital.
About 1,000 to 1,500 French soldiers are based in Niamey with fighter jets, drones and helicopters also in the country.
(Reporting by John Irish and Tassilo Hummel; Editing by Richard Lough)
