France expels Nigerien intelligence officers amid Sahel security rift

France has expelled two Nigerien intelligence officers from its territory, marking a further deterioration in security ties between Paris and the Sahel region. The officers, members of Niger’s General Directorate of Documentation and External Security, were declared persona non grata on 16 September 2026.

A French diplomatic source stated that their presence was no longer justified because intelligence cooperation between Paris and Niamey had ended. Conversely, Niger’s government described the move as a “grave and unacceptable act of ingratitude.” Nigerien officials noted that one of the officers, Abdoul-Razak Ibrahim Moussa Toro, had previously been evacuated to France for medical treatment following an injury sustained during a 2014 mission conducted in cooperation with the French military.

This incident follows a similar dispute in September 2025 involving the expulsion of two Malian intelligence officers. Those tensions arose after Mali accused a French intelligence officer of attempting to destabilize the military government led by Assimi Goïta.

The growing friction reflects a broader geopolitical shift in the Sahel, as Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso deepen their security cooperation through the Alliance of Sahel States and strengthen ties with Russia while distancing themselves from former colonial power France.