NIAMEY, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- A member of Niger's National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP) has urged the public to prepare for what he described as "a war with France."
Ibro Amadou Bacharou, a CNSP member and special chief of staff to President Abdourahamane Tiani, made the call on Wednesday at a gathering organized under a mobilization decree.
"This mobilization is convened so that we prepare to make war with France," he said. "We should not beat around the bush: We are going to enter into war with France."
In remarks broadcast at the event, Bacharou said France would "make war on Niger" and that Niamey was being blamed for France's "poor economic situation."
"Everything that has brought us to this state of insecurity is caused by France," he said, alleging that France "wants to bring us back at any cost to where it built its prosperity."
Nigerien authorities have repeatedly accused France of seeking to destabilize the country since the military took power on July 26, 2023.
The accusations have intensified after Niamey announced the end of military cooperation with Paris and the departure of French forces. ■
