Niger junta accuses France of violation of airspace

NAIROBI, Kenya / KIGALI, Rwanda (AA): Niger’s junta on Wednesday accused French troops of breaching the country’s airspace and plotting to destabilize the West African nation.

The accusation came amid growing tensions following the recent military coup in Niger that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum from power.

In a statement issued on national television, the junta asserted that a French aircraft had violated Niger’s airspace, adding to their concerns that a larger plot to sow discord within the country was afoot.

Col. Amadou Abdramane, the junta’s spokesperson, said that French forces might have ulterior motives to “discredit” the government.

He added that the French government had freed 16 terrorists who planned an attack Wednesday on its National Guard position.

The attack targeted Niger’s National Guard position in the Tillaberi region, which borders Mali, Burkina Faso and Benin, Abdramane said in a statement on national television.

It prompted authorities in Niger to declare a state of high alert across the country. The CNSP alerted national and international community of “events of extreme gravity in progress in Niger,” attributable to the French military forces, the junta spokesman said.

The junta, which appointed a transitional prime minister earlier this month, has been keen to assert its authority promising to ensure Niger’s stability.

France, a former colonial power in Niger, has maintained a military presence in the Sahel region as part of counterterrorism efforts. French officials are yet to comment on the accusations.