Emmanuel Macron Claims French Ambassador Being Held Hostage in Niger

French President Emmanuel Macron claims that his country's ambassador is being held hostage in Niger amid a region-long military coup.

Macron also accused military rulers in the region of blocking food deliveries to the country as they continue to hold power. On Friday, the French president said the ambassador only lived off "military rations."

French Ambassador Held Hostage

He added that his country currently has an ambassador and diplomatic staff hostage in the French embassy. The situation comes after Niger's military leaders told French ambassador Sulvain Itte that he had to leave the nation after the ousting of President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26.

However, the 48-hour ultimatum given for the ambassador to leave, issued in August, passed with him still in place as the French government refused to comply with the order or to recognize the military government as a legitimate administration, as per Aljazeera.

The military coup in Niger has received condemnation from France and most of the country's neighboring nations. The French president added that the envoy could not leave the country and had become persona non grata while being denied food.

Macron was also asked whether or not France would consider bringing the trapped individual home, and he responded by saying that they would do whatever they agreed with Bazoum. He noted that this was because he is the legitimate authority and claimed he speaks with the leader daily.

France is known to keep roughly 1,500 soldiers deployed in Niger and noted earlier this month that any redeployment could only be negotiated with President Bazoum. The nation's new leaders have torn up military cooperation agreements with the European country and asked its troops to leave the region immediately.

During an interview, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said that Itte was still working while being held hostage in Niger. According to CNN, he is being very helpful through his contacts and his small team.

Niger Military Coup

Following the Niger military's seizure of power in the region, West African countries froze financial transactions, closed their borders with the nation, and cut off most of its electricity supply. These were all made to pressure the generals to restore Constitutional order.

The new leaders are spearheaded by Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, who has not budged despite criticism. However, Niger is now being strangled by sanctions and other penalties that are hurting the country's economy. Food prices and shortages are growing, and many medicines have become increasingly scarce.

In a statement, the managing director of Oriba Rice, Ahmed Alhousseini, said that closing Niger's borders was like depriving its citizens of air. The coup in the region was the sixth in less than three years in West Africa.

Bazoum is believed to have remained imprisoned while his family was at home, surrounded by military barracks and invisible from the outside. However, in Niamey, few openly regret the ousted president, and many others have instead welcomed the new military rule, said the New York Times.