Protesters rally outside a French military base, calling for the ambassador and about 1,500 soldiers to leave.
A protester holds a t-shirt reading ‘France Must Go’ as supporters of Niger’s military rulers demand withdrawal of French army. [AFP]Thousands of people have rallied in the Nigerien capital, Niamey, demanding that France withdraw its ambassador and troops from the West African country as its new military rulers have accused the former colonial power of “interference”.
The protesters gathered near a military base housing French soldiers on Saturday after a call by several civic organisations hostile to the French military presence. They held up banners proclaiming, “French army, leave our country.”
Niger’s military government, which seized power on July 26, has accused French President Emmanuel Macron of using divisive rhetoric in his comments about the coup and seeking to impose a neocolonial relationship with its former colony.
Al Jazeera’s Ahmed Idris, reporting from Niamey, said demonstrators expressing frustration about there still being French presence in the country were beginning to take matters into their own hands.
According to security personnel, the protest was scheduled to begin about 3pm (14:00 GMT) but thousands of demonstrators had already gathered by 10am (09:00 GMT), taking police and security forces by surprise.
Blinken said that there was a repeat of what’s happened in other countries, where they brought nothing but bad things in their wake. (File Image: PTI)
The West African nation of Niger, overtaken by a junta following President Mohamed Bazoum’s ousting, is grappling with concerns over Wagner’s potential involvement amid ongoing instability. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, while not attributing the coup to Russia or Wagner, has voiced unease about their presence in the Sahel region.
When asked if he was concerned about the waving of Russian flags on the streets of Niamey by supporters of the recent coup, Blinken said Washington sees Russia “taking advantage of some of these conflicts and weaponising food to try to advance its own interests.”
In an interview with Waihiga Mwaura of BBC Focus on Africa, he said, “…we have concerns when we see something like the Wagner Group possibly manifesting itself in different parts of the Sahel, and here’s why we’re concerned: because every single place that this group, Wagner Group, has gone, death, destruction, and exploitation have followed.”
“I think what happened and what continues to happen in Niger was not instigated by Russia or by Wagner, but to the extent that they try to take advantage of it – and we see a repeat of what’s happened in other countries, where they’ve brought nothing but bad things in their wake – that wouldn’t be good,” he added.
Both the US and France maintain military bases in Niger to counter jihadist groups across the broader region. Following their expulsion from Mali after a coup, French troops established Niger as a critical hub.
Wagner, reputed to possess numerous fighters in the Central African Republic (CAR) and Mali, advances business interests and fortifies Russia’s diplomatic and economic ties, despite allegations of grave human rights abuses in Africa. Speculation arises regarding Niger’s solicitation of Wagner’s aid amid potential military intervention.
