Thousands of people gathered in Niamey on Thursday in support of the military responsible for the coup in Niger that overthrew President-elect Mohamed Bazoum, kidnapped for eight days and whose “immediate release” has been demanded by US President Joe Biden.
The protesters, who initially numbered in the hundreds in Niamey’s Independence Square, quickly multiplied to the thousands, as AFP journalists were able to verify.
The protesters had heeded the call of the M62, a coalition of “sovereignty” civil society organizations, on the 63rd anniversary of Niger’s independence from France, the former colonial power which has some 1,500 soldiers in the country to help in the fight against the armed jihadist groups that ravage the country.
Demonstrators chanted “Down with France” and “Long live Russia, long live Putin.”
Since the July 26 coup in the oil and uranium-producing country, relations with Paris have deteriorated following incidents on Sunday at an earlier demonstration outside the French embassy, ??which led to the evacuation of more than 500 French citizens.
Before Thursday’s demonstration, Paris reiterated “that the security of diplomatic compounds and personnel is an obligation under international law.”
“We are only interested in security, that Russia, China or Turkey ensure it, if they want to help us,” said Issiaka Hamadou, a young businessman, adding: “We simply don’t want the French who have been plundering us since 1960. They have been here since then and nothing has changed! What good have they done?”
In the United States, one of Niger’s main partners along with France, which is also deploying a thousand soldiers, President Joe Biden called for “the immediate release of President Bazoum and his family, and the preservation of Niger’s democracy that so much It’s been hard to get.”
Bazoum, 63, has been held with his family at the presidential residence since the day of the coup, on July 26. On Thursday his electricity was deliberately cut off, according to his party.
France has chartered five planes since Tuesday for an evacuation operation that ended Thursday.
“The evacuation of our Nigerien nationals has just been completed,” announced Sébastien Lecornu, French Minister of the Armed Forces, adding that 1,079 French and foreigners, including Europeans, “are now safe.”
On Wednesday, the United States ordered the evacuation of its non-essential personnel at the Niamey embassy. London did the same on Thursday “due to the security situation.”
The situation has been tense with Niger’s traditional Western and African partners since the former head of the presidential guard, General Abdourahamane Tiani, seized power.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), chaired by Nigeria, declared that it was preparing for a military operation, although it stressed that it was “the last option on the table.”
The organization’s chiefs of staff are meeting in Abuja until Friday, two days before the ultimatum demanding the return of Mohamed Bazoum expires on Sunday.
An ECOWAS delegation, headed by former Nigerian President Abdulsalami Abubakar, has also been sent to Niamey to “negotiate” with the coup plotters.
In line with the economic blockade decided on Sunday, Nigeria cut off electricity supply to Niger, which is 70% dependent on power from its neighbor.
The World Bank, which spent $1.5 billion in aid to Niger in 2022, has announced a suspension of payments “for all its operations until further notice.”
On the other hand, the new government of Niamey has sent an emissary to Mali and Burkina Faso, two countries also led by military coup leaders and faced with jihadist violence, while showing solidarity with its neighbor.
They stated that any armed intervention would be considered “as a declaration of war” against their two countries and would cause their withdrawal from ECOWAS.
In Niamey, General Tiani declared in a televised address on the eve of the country’s independence commemoration that he rejected “all sanctions” and refused to “give in to any threat.” “We reject any interference in the internal affairs of Niger,” he declared.
He assured that the French, “who have never been the object of the slightest threat,” had “no objective reason to leave Niger.”
Russia, which on Monday called for a “return to legality”, called for “dialogue” to avoid a “deterioration of the situation”, arguing that the “threat to use force against a sovereign State will not help to reduce tensions and solve the situation in the country”.
At the moment, the evacuation of French and American soldiers participating in the fight against the jihadists is not planned.
Washington does not speak of a “coup” and considers that there is still a “small window” for diplomacy and the reinstatement of President Bazoum.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
