Niger Intelligence Officers Expelled as France Loses Sahel Security Ties

Niger – (Special Correspondent/Web Desk) – Niger intelligence officers expelled from France is the latest sign that ties between Paris and Niamey are still falling apart. Two officers working at Niger’s embassy in Paris were declared persona non grata on 16 September 2026.

They left French territory three days later. The news became public on 8 October, when the French newspaper Le Monde reported it.

According to the paper, both men worked for Niger’s General Directorate of Documentation and External Security. This is the agency that handles spying and security work abroad.

A French diplomatic source gave a simple reason for the decision. The source said there was no longer any need for the officers to stay in France, because intelligence cooperation between Paris and Niamey had ended.

A Nigerien source also made a claim to the newspaper. The source said one of the officers had been watching Nigerien opposition figures who live in France.

This claim has not been confirmed by anyone else. The reports also do not show that either officer was charged with a crime.

This is not the first time France has sent away spies from a Sahel country. In September 2025, France ordered two Malian intelligence officials to leave.

That dispute started after Mali arrested a French intelligence officer, Yann Vézilier, in Bamako. Mali accused him of taking part in a plan to destabilise the military government led by Assimi Goïta.

France rejected the claim. Paris said he was an accredited member of its diplomatic mission.

After the arrest, France stopped its counterterrorism cooperation with Mali. A Malian court later sentenced Vézilier to 20 years in prison. He was pardoned and freed in August 2026.

Together, the two cases mean four officers have now been removed. The details differ, but the pattern is the same. Intelligence work has been pulled into bigger political fights.

France was once very close to these governments. For years, it kept soldiers in the Sahel and worked with local leaders against armed groups.

That changed after a series of military takeovers. France pulled its troops out of Mali in 2022.

In Niger, the military government led by Abdourahamane Tiani demanded the French leave after the July 2023 coup that removed President Mohamed Bazoum. About 1,500 French soldiers left by December 2023.

France then closed its embassy in Niamey. Niger’s embassy in Paris, however, stayed open, which is why its officers were still in France.

Meanwhile, Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso have grown closer through the Alliance of Sahel States. They created it as their own group for security and political teamwork.

The three countries have also built stronger military links with Russia. Russia has widened its presence in the region through its Africa Corps.

Niger’s rulers have often accused France of backing efforts to destabilise the country. French officials have rejected these claims each time.