As foreign interests continue to emerge in Niger’s coup situation, the French army has denied it has granted Algeria permission to use its airspace for military operations in the troubled West African country.
A source in the French army quoted by Reuters said: “France’s joint defence staff denies making a request to fly over Algerian territory.”
France claims such permission had been refused, while offering a rebuttal to a report by an Algerian state radio late on Monday. The claimed request was first made public by Algerian state radio, which also noted that the North African country preferred diplomacy over international military intervention to restore order following the coup in Niger on July 26.
Although France had a military base with about 1,500 troops in Niger before last month’s coup, Paris has not given any sign it is interested in a military intervention to overturn the military takeover.
Meanwhile, West Africa’s main regional bloc, ECOWAS last week agreed to an undisclosed “D-Day” for a possible military intervention if diplomatic efforts fail. ECOWAS has also rejected a three-year frame for a return to civilian reign which was announced by General Abdourahmane Tchiani.
At the beginning of this month, Algerian President, Abdelmadjid Tebboune expressed concerns about a military reaction, saying, “A military intervention might ignite the entire Sahel region and Algeria will not employ force with its neighbours.”
Algeria and France, its former colonial power, have tense relations. They argue about Sahel security and other regional issues, their shared history, how the French media portrays Algeria, and human rights concerns.