The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Niger has summoned the European Union’s chargé d’affaires in the capital Niamey, where Foreign Minister Bakary Yaou Sangaré delivered an official protest note following a vote by the European Parliament calling for the release of the ousted president Mohamed Bazoum and his wife, who have been held at the presidential residence since the 2023 Niger coup d`état.
The summoning of the European diplomat comes amid continuing tensions between Niamey and Brussels since the military seized power in the country. There has been no EU ambassador in Niger since authorities in Niamey requested his replacement about a year and a half ago, accusing him of mismanaging a European Union humanitarian fund.
This move is seen as an extension of the diplomatic crisis between Niger’s military government and the European Union, which intensified after the European Parliament adopted a resolution in November 2023 demanding the release of Mohamed Bazoum.
At the end of 2023, Niamey announced the cancellation of several agreements with the European Union, effectively ending two defense and security missions that had been operating in the country.
Weeks later, Nigerien authorities announced they had seized a large cache of weapons inside the headquarters of the EU mission in the Sahel region.
The government also repealed a 2015 law criminalizing migrant smuggling, effectively terminating one of the main areas of cooperation with Europe on border management and migration.
Despite these tensions, the European Union has in recent months signaled interest in normalizing relations with Niger.
At the end of January, the Prime Minister of Niger received the EU Special Representative for the Sahel, João Cravinho, who stressed during the meeting the importance of strengthening dialogue between the European Union and the countries of the Sahel and expanding areas of cooperation in the coming period.