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French ambassador is being 'held hostage at the French embassy' in Niger, says Macron (edition.cnn.com)

submitted 10 months ago by alphacyberranger to c/[email protected]

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[-] [email protected] 62 points 10 months ago

Countries have the right to expel foreign diplomats and embassies as long as they don't arrest them or go through their stuff when they leave. The newly couped Niger junta requested the French ambassador leave and revoked his visa, but the French are still refusing to leave, claiming that because they don't recognize the legitimacy of the new junta, they don't have to follow the junta's orders to leave. Regardless of your opinion of the new junta, in how does a former colonial power be in the right when they are blatantly ignoring the legal rights and sovereignty of their independent former colony's government that is doing things by the book? They stopped sending the ambassador food and are confining him to his embassy until he leaves, especially given the current junta that is extremely gentle treatment

[-] [email protected] 45 points 10 months ago

The problem with your picture is that you're calling the junta a sovereign and independent government doing things by the book. They're army personel that took power from the elected government at gunpoint.

It might be so that France will have to accept the new dictatorship one day, but historically more than one such coup has failed days or weeks after. If France were to accept the dictatorship from day one that would be seen as throwing in the towel and dooming any chance of the democratic government regaining power...

[-] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

Damn. I think they should still give food, but yeah he should gtfo.

[-] [email protected] 21 points 10 months ago

Itte is still working, according to French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna. “The ambassador is working, I can confirm that, and he is very useful through his contacts, his team, there is still a small team with him,” said Colonna in an interview with French TV channel LCI. Colonna added that Itte “will stay as long as we want him to stay,” and that his return is Macron’s decision.

I don't think it's going to turn out well for the ambassador.

[-] [email protected] 26 points 10 months ago

Since harming an ambassador might be considered an act of war, and the coup leaders are not idiots, I'm sure he'll be fine.

[-] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago

Is denying food and treats to the ambassador not considered harm? The way Macron is talking it would seem so.

[-] [email protected] 7 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

he has food in form of army rations, so for now he's fine

[-] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago

The rations:

[-] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago

that looks pretty damn good 😅

[-] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

Just missing the bread which I'm sure is available in the schools where they serve this.

PS my French school lunches never looked quite that nice..

[-] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

That image comes from a comparison of children’s school lunches from around the world. I have no idea how representative it is of either meals in the French embassy currently, or French army rations.

[-] [email protected] 21 points 10 months ago

People keep blaming Russia as if Africans are somehow incapable of making their own decisions. The reality is Africans are tired of French neo colonialism. Niger is a perfect example. They were selling france uranium for $0.8/kg when the market price is $200. That's Niger's resources going to power French power plants, while the people of Niger are struggling to survive. Fuck that shit.

[-] [email protected] 66 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Any source for said price?

Edit: Better known source says it is a baseless rumor circulating on social medias

Some accounts on social media are now circulating the claim that Niger has lifted prices from €0.80 per kilogram to €200. So far, there is no evidence for this beyond themselves quoting each other. The claim seems to trace back to a small digital outlet in Nigeria. Embarrassingly, the website has been confused as being from Niger itself.

Sources (as shared by @[email protected]) : https://www.forbes.com/sites/eliasferrerbreda/2023/09/12/more-rumours-what-is-really-happening-with-nigers-uranium/

[-] [email protected] 24 points 10 months ago

The average global price of Uranium per pound, in 2022, was $40.77 USD. Let's convert it to kilograms.

2.205 pounds ~= 1 KG
2.205 * 40.77 = 89.89785 (~90 USD per KG)

In 2022, Niger supplied 20% of France's uranium.

Sources:

https://www.statista.com/statistics/260005/monthly-uranium-price/

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/les-decodeurs/article/2023/08/04/how-dependent-is-france-on-niger-s-uranium_6080772_8.html

Please note that I'm not taking sides; I was simply curious about the actual numbers, so I'm sharing them here in the hope that someone finds them interesting.

[-] [email protected] 13 points 10 months ago

Questionable sites, not even going to link them. But Forbes states the following:

Some accounts on social media are now circulating the claim that Niger has lifted prices from €0.80 per kilogram to €200. So far, there is no evidence for this beyond themselves quoting each other. The claim seems to trace back to a small digital outlet in Nigeria. Embarrassingly, the website has been confused as being from Niger itself.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/eliasferrerbreda/2023/09/12/more-rumours-what-is-really-happening-with-nigers-uranium/

[-] [email protected] 12 points 10 months ago

Oh look, a reason to invade. How nice for Macron!

[-] [email protected] 8 points 10 months ago

This is an interesting move by France. The Junta expelled their diplomatic staff as part of the justification that France is a neocolonial power interfering with the country. The Junta benefits because having him there cements that bit of propaganda. Hopefully the locals don't get riled up enough to storm the place once that propaganda gets too effective.

[-] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago

The French version of Fortunate Son starts playing from distant loud speakers attached to France's Eurocopter Tigers

[-] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

I wonder if russia has some stakes in this...

[-] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

He should have left when asked

[-] [email protected] -5 points 10 months ago

hahahahhahahahahahahahhahahahaha

[+] [email protected] -13 points 10 months ago

[removed by mod]

[-] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Are you for real? What a POS. How about you say where you're from so we can discuss your country's war crimes.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

France it is not the savior of the world, they should have left but are too colonialist and have too many business there to leave. If you are OK with what for France are trying to do here you have no stands to criticize what Russian did to Ukraine. Both were trying to justify the invasion of another country. Macron is even willing to kill his embassador to do it. There is no such things of "I disagree with the new head of state" and Europe should stop believe they have higher moral stand to choose which country is "democratic enough" to them, when you stop the colonialism and proxy wars maybe Africans can organize themselves.

[-] [email protected] -3 points 10 months ago

I think Macron is an asshole, yet I don't condone terrorism. These are not conflicting views.

Effectively sieging the embassy is terrorism, this isn't about colonialism at all.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

After a embassador is expelled and had his visa canceled he is not an embassador anymore, he had a time to leave but he decides to stay and became at the best an illegal immigrant, at the worst an international agent.

[-] [email protected] 0 points 10 months ago

[-] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

Are people from Niger really called Nigerians? Isn't that a different country?

[-] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

The demonym for Niger is 'Nigerien', but it's an understandable mistake in spelling since the difference in pronunciation isn't really in the '-ian'/'-ien' part.

this post was submitted on 16 Sep 2023

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