French President Emmanuel Macron has said France is imminently to withdraw its ambassador from Niger, followed by its military contingent in the next months, in the wake of the coup in the west African country that ousted the pro-Paris president.
"France has decided to withdraw its ambassador. In the next hours our ambassador and several diplomats will return to France," Mr Macron told French television in an interview.
He added that military cooperation was "over" and French troops would withdraw in "the months and weeks to come" with a full pullout "by the end of the year".
"In the weeks and months to come, we will consult with the putschists, because we want this to be done peacefully," he added.
France keeps about 1,500 soldiers in Niger as part of an anti-jihadist deployment in the Sahel region.
Niger's military leaders told French ambassador Sylvain Itte he had to leave the country after they overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum on 26 July.
But a 48-hour ultimatum for him to leave, issued in August, passed with him still in place as the French government refused to comply, or to recognise the military regime as legitimate.
In the interview today, Mr Macron reaffirmed France's position that Mr Bazoum was being held "hostage" and remained the "sole legitimate authority" in the country.
"He was targeted by this coup d'etat because he was carrying out courageous reforms and because there was a largely ethnic settling of scores and a lot of political cowardice," he argued.
The impoverished Sahel region south of the Sahara has suffered what Mr Macron has previously called an "epidemic" of coups in recent years, with military regimes replacing elected governments in Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea as well as Niger.
Niger's military rulers welcomed the announcement, and described it as "a new step towards sovereignty".
"This Sunday, we celebrate a new step towards the sovereignty of Niger," said a statement from the country's military rulers, who seized power in late July..
"The French troops and the ambassador of France will leave Nigerien soil by the end of the year."
The statement, read out on national television, added: "This is a historic moment, which speaks to the determination and will of the Nigerien people."
Niger bans French aircraft from its airspace
Mr Macron's comments come as Niger's military rulers banned "French aircraft" from flying over the country's airspace, according to the Agency for the Safety of Air Navigation in Africa and Madagascar (ASECNA) website.
Niger's airspace is "open to all national and international commercial flights except for French aircraft or aircraft chartered by France including those of the airline Air France," it said in the statement dated late yesterday.
The air space would remain closed for "all military, operational and other special flights", unless receiving prior authorisation, the message said.
Air France said simply that it was "not flying over Niger airspace".
Niger had reopened its airspace on 4 September for commercial flights after having been closed for nearly a month.
