On Niger’s 63rd independence anniversary, protesters gather to show support for last week’s coup.
Hundreds of people backing last week’s removal of Niger’s democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum by his presidential guard have gathered for a mass rally in the capital, Niamey, with some brandishing giant Russian flags.The demonstrators converged at Independence Square in the heart of the city on Thursday, following a call by a coalition of civil society associations on a day marking the 63rd anniversary of the country’s independence from France.
Issiaka Hamadou, one of the demonstrators, said that it was “only security that interests us,” irrespective of whether it came from “Russia, China, Turkey, if they want to help us”.
“We just don’t want the French, who have been looting us since 1960 – they’ve been there ever since and nothing has changed,” he said.
Another of the demonstrators in Niamey held a placard that said: “Long live Niger, Russia, Mali and Burkina. Down with France, ECOWAS, EU.”
France has some 1,500 troops in Niger fighting armed groups in the Sahel.
The coup has triggered sanctions by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and condemnation from the African Union, United Nations and Western countries.
But coup leader General Abdourahamane Tchiani remained defiant on Wednesday, saying he “refuses to give in to any threats, wherever they come from”.
Earlier on Thursday, United States President Joe Biden called for the immediate release of Bazoum and his family, and for the country’s democracy to be preserved.
“In this critical moment, the United States stands with the people of Niger to honour our decades-long partnership rooted in shared democratic values and support for civilian-led governance,” he said.
“The Nigerien people have the right to choose their leaders,” Biden said. “They have expressed their will through free and fair elections- and that must be respected.”