In Niger, one of the representatives of the military authorities, General Amadou Ibro, said at a rally in the capital that the country should prepare for “war” with France, accusing Paris of attempting to destabilize the situation. His speech took place in a stadium in front of a young audience, and a video of the speech was widely shared on social media.
According to Jeune Afrique and AFP reports, Ibro, who is said to be the chief of staff of Niger’s leader Abderrahmane Tiani, claimed that France allegedly intends to wage war on Niger and, in this regard, called for preparations for conflict.
The French side rejected these claims. Colonel Guillaume Vernet, a representative of the French General Staff, stated that “French intervention in Niger is not being considered” and called the accusations an element of “information warfare.”
The rhetoric came amid a sharp deterioration in relations between Niamey and Paris following the 2023 military coup and the subsequent withdrawal of French troops from the country. At the end of January 2026, Niger’s leader Tiani also publicly accused the French leadership and a number of neighboring countries of involvement in the attack near Niamey airport, without providing any evidence.
