France does not recognize Niger's rebel authorities and, therefore, will agree to withdraw its troops from the country only if requested to do so by ousted Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday.
"French troops were deployed on the territory of Niger at the request of Niger itself ... France's position is simple: we condemn it [the military takeover], we demand the release of President Bazoum and the restoration of constitutional order, and we do not recognize the legitimacy of the rebels' statements ... And if we ever redeploy troops, we will do so at the request of President Bazoum," Macron said at the G20 Summit in New Delhi.
A total of 1,500 French soldiers are currently deployed in Niger and 1,000 are stationed in Chad after they were forced to withdraw from Burkina Faso and Mali, following the military takeovers in those countries.
The military takeover in Niger took place on July 26. President Mohamed Bazoum was ousted and detained by his own guard, led by Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani. Following the military takeover, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) suspended all cooperation with Niger and threatened intervention if the rebels did not reinstate Bazoum.