EU top diplomats discuss Niger coup with ECOWAS

EU foreign ministers gather for a group photo at the summit

The foreign ministers of the European Union met in the Spanish city of Toledo on Thursday, to discuss means of supporting a West African regional group after last month's coup in Niger.

The foreign minister of the ousted Niger civilian government was present in the meeting, alongside Omar Alieu Touray, the president of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) commission, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.

Both the EU and ECOWAS firmly oppose the July 26 coup, which saw the military junta oust and detain elected president Mohamed Bazoum. The coup leaders later announced they were charging Bazoum with treason.

On Wednesday, a group of high ranking military officers in Gabon appeared on TV to announce the nullification of the country's recent election results.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Borrell said the situation in Gabon was different to that in Niger, stressing that the former's recent elections were "full of irregularities."

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Niger strips French ambassador of immunity

Thursday's meeting coincided with Niger's military rulers announcing the withdrawal of the French ambassador's diplomatic immunity in the country, ordering the police to expel him.

Last Friday, Niger's military rulers ordered the French ambassador to leave the country in the next 48 hours, saying he had refused an invitation to meet with Niger's junta-appointed foreign minister on the same day.

On Thursday, the French AFP news agency cited a letter to the foreign ministry in Paris as saying the envoy "no longer enjoys the privileges and immunities attached to his status as member of the diplomatic personnel in the French embassy."

A document circulated on social media, believed to be the letter in question, was dated August 29. It said the French ambassador had lost such privileges since the expiry of the 48 hours on August 28.

On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron said that France's ambassador to Niger will stay in the West African country.

Niger gained independence from France in 1960 and had been a key ally in Western campaigns against insurgents linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group in the Sahel.