France’s Foreign Ministry says French elected official has been arrested in military-run Niger

By The Associated Press on September 12, 2023.

PARIS (AP) – France’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that a French official has been arrested in military-run Niger, and called for the junta to immediately release him.

Military officers in Niger deposed elected President Mohamed Bazoum in July and later ordered French officials to leave the country – an order that France has refused to heed, saying that Niger’s junta is not the country’s legitimate authority.

The ministry said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that Stephane Jullien, counsellor for French citizens abroad – a non-diplomatic, elected post – , was arrested last Friday, and called for his “immediate release.”

French President Emmanuel Macron has said that France’s ambassador would stay at his post in Niger despite being asked to leave, Addressing ambassadors in August, Macron dismissed concerns that standing up to the junta could be dangerous.

The arrest of a French official was sure to further raise tensions between France and Niger.

The Foreign Ministry did not elaborate on where and how Jullien was arrested or whether officials in Paris knew where he was being held. It said only that France was following the situation closely and was “fully mobilized” to assure him the protections due to anyone in another country.

France “calls immediately for his release,” the statement said.

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This story has been corrected to show that the arrested French man is an elected official, not a French Foreign Ministry official.