A Nigerien diplomat aired his opinion about France after two diplomats from his country were expelled from its embassy in Paris.
- A Nigerien official recently described France as ungrateful after two Nigerien diplomats were expelled.
- France justified the expulsion by stating that intelligence collaboration with Niger had ended.
- One of the Nigerien official was reportedly monitoring opposition activists, but there is no evidence of criminal charges.
- The incident mirrors previous expulsions of Malian intelligence officers following diplomatic tensions between France and Mali.
A few days ago, it was reported that France dismissed two Nigerien intelligence officers assigned to Niger’s embassy in Paris, who were declared persona non grata on 16 September 2026 and left French territory three days later.
The two officials belonged to Niger's General Directorate of Documentation and External Security.
A French diplomatic source stated that their ongoing presence was no longer warranted because intelligence collaboration between Paris and Niamey had ceased.
According to a Nigerien source quoted by the publication, one of the officials was also watching Nigerien opposition activists in France.
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The accusation has not been independently corroborated, and the available information does not indicate that either officer was charged with a crime.
Responding to the incident, Nigerien Minister of Justice Alio Daouda noted that France is typically an ungrateful nation, hence their harsh decision.
"This is how France thanks those who have served alongside it," the Nigerien Minister stated.
As seen on Sputnik, Abdoul-Razak Ibrahim Moussa Toro, one of the expelled ambassadors, was treated in France after suffering serious injuries during a joint operation with the French army in 2014.
Despite an appeal, he was declared persona non grata on September 16 and departed France with his family on September 19.
The expulsions mirror an identical decision by France involving two Malian intelligence officers in September 2025.
France and Mali’s diplomats dispute
The relationship between France and Mali, which has not been peachy since Mali’s military takeover in 2021, deteriorated further after Paris ordered two Malian intelligence officials to leave the country following the arrest of a French intelligence officer in Mali’s capital, Bamako.
Malian authorities accused the officer, Yann Vézilier, of involvement in an alleged plot to destabilise the military government led by Assimi Goïta.
France refuted the accusations, insisting that Vézilier was an accredited member of its diplomatic mission.
The dispute prompted Paris to suspend counterterrorism cooperation with Mali, adding to tensions between the two countries.
Vézilier was later sentenced to 20 years in prison by a Malian court but was pardoned and released in August 2026.