Niger's military accuses France of violating air space, destablizing country
Niger’s junta has accused France of violating its airspace in a bid to destabilize the West African country.
A French military aircraft “deliberately cut off all contact with air traffic control on entering our air space,” from 6:39-11:15 am (0539-1015 GMT) on Wednesday, Niger’s junta said in a televised address.
Niger’s military also held France responsible for having “unilaterally freed captured terrorists,” a term used for extremists who have been conducting a violent eight-year-old insurgency.
According to a statement issued on Wednesday, the now- ruling National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP), said the extremists allegedly planned an attack on “military positions in the tri-border area,” a hot spot region where the frontiers of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali converge.
France's reaction
The French government has refuted the charges.
A French government source told AFP that the flight in question had been “authorized by and coordinated with” Niger’s armed forces.
However, Niger’s army has claimed that France had allowed a military plane to take off Wednesday from neighboring Chad, which then crossed into Niger, defying a ban imposed on Sunday.
Refuting Niamey’s claim that Paris has released extremists in the West African country, the French government said that “no terrorist has been freed by French forces.”
France has deployed around 1,500 troops in Niger which had been envisioned as the base to suppress anti-French sentiments in the region.
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