Nigerien general calls for war with France
The Niger army chief of the staff, General Amadou Ibro, has called on the people in Niger to “prepare for war with France”, in light of the continued deterioration of relations between the two countries, since the military coup against civilian President Mohamed Bazoum in late July 2023.
During Wednesday’s gathering at the Niamey Stadium, Ibro said Paris would wage war on Niger because his country is responsible for the bad economic situation in France.
“This mobilization has been approved and the decision has been made in order to prepare for war with France,” he said in a speech in French, amid applause and chants including Death to France.
General Amadou Ibro addressed the audience, saying: “You know this, we are going to go to war with France. We were not at war, and now we will go to war with France”.
“We’re facing people who, because of our property and wealth, want us to be returned to… It wasn’t the reason they prospered”.
From his part, Colonel Guillaume Vergne, spokesman for the French armed forces’ General Staff, denied any French intervention in Niger, saying it clearly appears to be an information war on Niger’s part, after a video of the Nigerien military official went viral on social media on Thursday morning.
Niger has consistently accused France of seeking to destabilize it, most recently the transitional president, General Abdourahamane Tchiani accused French President Emmanuel Macron of being a “sponsor” of the perpetrators of an armed attack on the airport in Niamey last January, which was claimed by the Islamic State.
France, whose military forces left Niger at the end of 2023 following intense diplomatic tensions with the junta, has denied on several occasions any intention to destabilize the country.
Niger has adopted a break with France since the 2023 coup and has adopted a sovereign policy regarding its natural resources, accusing the former colonial power of plundering its wealth.
In this context, the country nationalized the Sommere company, a subsidiary of the French uranium company “Orano”, which for its part initiated several lawsuits.
Niger, which also plans to sue Orano for environmental damage dating back to late 2025, has announced its intention to put the company’s uranium on the international market.
According to French official data, before the tension between the two countries, the share of uranium coming from Niger represented about 20% of the country’s supply of this important metal.
