France's ambassador has remained in Niger despite being given a 48-hour deadline to leave the country last Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed in a defiant speech. Ambassador Sylvain Itte had been ordered to go amid rapidly deteriorating bilateral ties. But hours after the coup leaders' deadline had passed, the president said he "applauds" Itte for staying put. The junta overthrew Niger's elected president last month. In a major foreign policy speech to ambassadors gathered in Paris as well as others listening remotely, Macron said: "France and its diplomats have faced particularly difficult situations in some countries in recent months, from Sudan, where France has been exemplary, to Niger at this very moment. "I applaud your colleague and your colleagues who are listening from their posts." Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum was toppled on July 26 in a coup that has been condemned by France and many of Niger's neighbors, including the West African regional bloc ECOWAS. Ambassador Itte had refused to meet Niger's new leaders after the coup, the junta said on Friday, as it announced the French ambassador had 48 hours to leave. Thousands of Nigeriens in favor of the coup demonstrated on Sunday near the French military base in the capital, Niamey. Some held signs demanding the departure of French troops, while footage posted on social media appears to show local Muslim imams leading prayers outside the base. In Monday's speech, Macron defended France's military presence in Niger, stating that without intervention from Paris, the country would "no longer exist" with its "existing borders". Neighbors Mali and Burkina Faso, which are also both under military rule, would also have suffered the same fate without France, Macron said. France sent troops to Mali in 2013 to lead counter-terror operations against an uprising of separatist rebels and Islamist fighters. France later expanded its operation to countries in the wider Sahel region — including Burkina Faso, Chad and Niger. — BBC
