Niger rejects EU's call to free ousted President Bazoum

Niger's ruling military council has firmly rejected European Parliament calls for the release of former President Mohamed Bazoum, marking an escalation in tensions between the West African nation and its traditional European partners. The junta's rebuke—coupled with explicit warnings against what it characterizes as external interference—represents a critical inflection point for European businesses operating in the Sahel's most strategically important uranium-producing nation. The standoff emerged following a European Parliament resolution demanding Bazoum's immediate release, nearly a year after General Abdourahmane Tiani led a coup that removed the democratically elected president from office. Rather than moderating its position, Niger's interim government responded with nationalist rhetoric, effectively signaling that it will not be swayed by diplomatic pressure from Brussels or individual European capitals. For European investors, this development carries profound implications. France, in particular, has deep historical and economic ties to Niger, with French companies controlling significant interests in the country's uranium sector—a commodity increasingly critical to Europe's energy transition. The widening diplomatic breach threatens to undermine the institutional frameworks that have long governed European commercial activities in the region. The junta's defiant posture reflects a broader geopolitical realignment unfolding across the Sahel. Since seizing power, Tiani's government has moved closer to