French spy row as Macron accuses intelligence chief of failure over Niger coup

Protesters hold an anti-France placard during a demonstration on independence day in Niamey on August 3, 2023. (AFP)

• Bernard Emie should have predicted overthrow of Mohamed Bazoum: French president
• Former Sahel colony is key source for France’s nuclear industry

LONDON: French President Emmanuel Macron has criticized the chief of his country’s foreign spy agency over a perceived failure to predict the coup in Niger, The Times reported on Friday.
France, which controlled the Sahel country as a colonial possession until 1960, relies heavily on Niger to source uranium for its nuclear energy system, and has a vested interest in keeping it secure from terrorism and conflict.
Macron said Bernard Emie, the 64-year-old director of the Directorate-General for External Security, should have foreseen the coup, which would have allowed France to prevent the deposition of President Mohamed Bazoum, a key ally.
Coup leader Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani has been set a Sunday deadline by the Economic Community of West African States to release Bazoum.
Juntas in Mali and Burkina Faso have offered to defend the coup leaders by sending troops, sparking fears of a regional conflict.
France has evacuated 1,079 people from the capital Niamey after its embassy was attacked.
Macron also accused spy chiefs of falling short of expectations regarding the 2021 coup in Mali.
He said: “We can see that the DGSE’s way of functioning is not satisfactory. When you don’t see anything coming, there’s a problem.”
Tensions are said to have peaked during a French defense council meeting on the weekend at the Elysee Palace.
Emie’s job may be under threat as a result of Macron’s accusations, with the president having the power to dismiss leading intelligence officials.
The spy chief has defended himself, saying: “I wrote a report on the situation in Niger in January.”
Gen. Christophe Gomart, former chief of another French intelligence service, said the DGSE’s risk research may have been overlooked by Macron.
Gomart said: “We perhaps did not take into account enough what could happen in Niger but that is both at a political level and at an intelligence level.”
He added that Tchiana decided to initiate the coup soon after learning that he was about to be dismissed from his role as chief of the presidential guard.
Gomart said: “Did France fail to anticipate this sacking and the reaction of Gen. Tchiani, who did not accept his dismissal even though he is 63 years old? It’s difficult to say.”