France closes Niger embassy until further notice

“For five months, our embassy has been severely hampered” by obstacles that have obstructed its diplomatic mission, a spokeswoman for the French foreign ministry said in a statement. 

“A blockade around the embassy, travel restrictions for staff and the refusal to allow any diplomatic personnel to travel to Niger was a clear violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations,” the statement continued. 

The embassy’s closure – an extremely rare measure – was decided at the same time as the withdrawal of the last French soldiers deployed in Niger on December 22. 

Almost reads like they’re being forced to decolonise. Almost.