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Daily Telegraph (New Zealand): France furious with US over Niger – Le Figaro
Washington has chosen its own interests over its allies, a French diplomat has told the newspaper, following Victoria Nuland’s visit to Niger.
The presence of the ‘Maidan midwife,’ US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, in post-coup Niger has enraged Washington’s NATO ally, France, Le Figaro reported over the weekend, citing a source within the French Foreign Ministry.
The US “did the exact opposite of what we thought they would do,” a French diplomatic source told the paper, adding that “with allies like these, we do not need enemies.”
Paris has been insisting on the reinstatement of ousted President Mohamed Bazoum ever since a new military government came to power in Niger in a coup in late July.
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WNU Editor: France’s influence in the region is declining, and even the Americans know it …. Niger is Latest African Country Where France’s Fortunes are Fading (New York Times). More here …. The Niger crisis shows France’s quasi-empire in Africa is finally crumbling (Nabila Ramdani, The Guardian).