Brussels recalls envoy to Niger after junta accuses EU of mishandling aid
The development marks a new high in tensions between the EU and Niger's military junta.
The EU recalled its ambassador to Niger amid a row with the African country over the handling of €1.3 million in humanitarian aid.
In a sign of deteriorating relations with Niger, Brussels reacted to accusations from the country’s military junta that it handed financial aid to assist flood victims directly to NGOs, therefore bypassing the local authorities.
“The European Union expresses its profound disagreement with the allegations and justifications put forward by the transitional authorities,” the bloc’s foreign affairs arm, the European External Action Service, wrote in a statement on Saturday.
The EU said it will “continue supporting the population” in Niger.
“Humanitarian aid is essential; it is provided neutrally, impartially and independently, and is implemented by United Nations agencies and international organisations and NGOs. Nothing should justify the use of humanitarian aid for political ends,” the EEAS said in the statement.
The EU added that it recalled its ambassador to Niger, Portuguese-French diplomat Salvador Pinto da França, for “consultation in Brussels.”
The developments mark a new high in the escalating tensions between the EU and Niger, where a military junta that is not recognized by Brussels seized power in a coup d’etat in the summer of 2023.
Niger’s military rulers immediately turned against former colonial ruler France, which withdrew its envoy to Niger shortly after the coup.
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