Omanghana
France has expelled two Nigerien intelligence officers stationed at Niger’s embassy in Paris, marking a further deterioration in relations between the two countries.
The officers were declared personae non gratae on September 16, 2026, and subsequently left France, according to a French diplomatic source. The source said their continued presence was no longer justified because intelligence cooperation between Paris and Niamey had ended.
Le Monde, citing a Nigerien source, reported that one of the officers was suspected of monitoring Nigerien opposition figures living in France. The French foreign ministry declined to comment on that allegation.
The expulsions follow a separate dispute in September 2025, when France ordered two Malian intelligence officers to leave and suspended counterterrorism cooperation with Mali. That decision followed the arrest of French embassy officer Yann Vézilier in Bamako over allegations that he was involved in efforts to destabilize the country.
Vézilier was sentenced to 20 years in prison before receiving a presidential pardon from Mali’s military leader, General Assimi Goïta, on August 13, 2026. France subsequently welcomed his release after a year in detention.
Together, the two incidents involved the removal of four intelligence officials from French territory over approximately a year.
Relations between France and Niger deteriorated sharply after the July 2023 coup that removed President Mohamed Bazoum. Niger’s military authorities demanded the departure of French troops, while France closed its embassy in Niamey in December that year. Niger’s embassy in Paris has remained open.
The disputes reflect a wider shift in the Sahel, where Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have formed the Alliance of Sahel States and strengthened ties with Russia while distancing themselves from France. The latest expulsions underscore how diplomatic tensions have also disrupted intelligence relationships that once supported regional security cooperation.
Source: Omanghana
