Niger military-appointed PM accuses France of assassination attempts
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The appointed Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine calls out France for using its tools to take advantage and destabilize the situation in Niger further.
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Military-appointed Nigerien Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine on October 12, 2008, when he was the financial minister (AP)
Niger’s junta-appointed Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine accused France on Tuesday of plotting to assassinate ministers and other figures in Niger.
Talking to Al Jazeera, Zeine said: "France, along with our other enemies, has a plan to assassinate prominent ministers and members of the country's leadership," adding that France takes advantage to destabilize the situation in the country.
The economist and former finance minister was appointed back in August after holding the position of spokesman for the African Development Bank in the Chadian capital N'Djamena, and previously held the same role in Cote d'Ivoire and Gabon.
After France announced last month that it would withdraw its ambassador and military troops from Niger by the end of the year, the new Nigerien government hailed the news as "a new step towards sovereignty."
"This is a historic moment, which speaks to the determination and will of the Nigerien people."
Read more: Niger junta demands 'negotiated framework' for French army withdrawal
The crisis in Niger was sparked on July 26 when the presidential guard detained President Bazoum, leading to the subsequent declaration of interim leadership by Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, who also assumed the presidency of the Caretaker National Council.
Last month, Zeine spoke of the pressing need to rid the country of French troops, calling their position "illegal."
Regarding the French ambassador's refusal to exit the country, he expressed that the conduct was a "behavior of contempt." He elaborated on the nation's economic challenges, explaining that the country faced a substantial burden of 5200 billion CFA Francs (7.92 billion euros).
