Niger: Niger’s military coup supporters rally to denounce France, allies

NIAMEY: Hundreds of people rallied in support of Niger‘s ruling junta in the capital on Thursday, denouncing France and others who have criticised a recent coup – as the country’s military leaders sought to exploit anti-Western sentiment to shore up their takeover. As numbers began to swell at a demonstration organised by the junta and civil society groups on Niger’s independence day, protesters in Niamey pumped their fists in the air and chanted out support for neighbouring nations that have also seen military takeovers in recent years. Some waved Russian flags, and one man brandished a Russian and Nigerien flag sewn together.

Last week’s coup toppled President Mohamed Bazoum – whose ascendency marked Niger’s first peaceful, democratic transfer of power since independence from France in 1960. It has been accompanied by strident anti-French sentiment and raised questions about the future of the fight against extremism in Africa‘s Sahel region, where Russia and Western countries have vied for influence.
The coup has been condemned by Western countries and the West African regional bloc, which has threatened to use force to remove the junta if they don’t hand back power to Bazoum. As tensions have grown, many European nations have moved to evacuate their citizens. It remains unclear whether the majority of the population supports the coup – and in many parts of the capital, people went about their lives as normal. AP