Niger military junta expels members of an EU group

The ruling military government in Niger has expelled several members of the European civilian reconstruction mission EUCAP Sahel Niger from the country.

The German head of the mission, Katja Dominik, was also affected, the government in Niamey said early Tuesday.

The group arrived in the capital Niamey a few days ago and shortly afterwards, was ordered to leave the country within 72 hours, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

Members of the mission had entered the country “without informing the government of Niger beforehand,” the minister Mohamed Toumba claimed.

The EU had asked the transition authorities for clarifications, a spokeswoman for the EU’s diplomatic service said on Tuesday.

The refusal of entry was just one of several “hostile and unjustified incidents against the EU and its member states in recent months,” said the spokeswoman.

Leaving ECOWAS

The development comes days after the military authorities of Niger, Mali and Burakina Faso announced their countries were leaving the West African regional bloc ECOWAS.

In December the ruling military junta in Niger decided to cancel cooperation with two EU missions, namely EUCAP Sahel Niger and the EUMPM military partnership mission.

The EU missions were part of a security partnership aimed at curbing migration to Europe and supporting the fight against terrorism in the Sahel.

That was where Islamist groups had for years, carried out attacks on civilians and seized territory in several countries, including Niger.

EU member states had deployed around 130 security personnel, who were also engaged in training officers in Niger.

Until  when democratically elected president was ousted in 2023, Niger was seen as the last democratic partner of the EU and the United States in the Sahel region.