Crisis in Niger: Thousands of demonstrators in front of the French embassy in Niamey

Niger, one of Paris’s last allies in the Sahel, survived a coup d’état on Wednesday. General Abdurakhaman Chiani, head of the presidential guard and the country’s new strong man, asked his foreign partners to “trust him.”

Thousands of people are demonstrating in front of the French embassy in Niamey this Sunday, some of them insisting on entering, an AFP journalist said during a rally in support of the military putschists who overthrew President-elect Mohamed Bazum in Niger.

France suspends development aid

Others ripped off a sign that read “French Embassy in Niger” and then trampled it on the pavement and replaced it with Russian and Nigerian flags. “Long live Putin,” “long live Russia,” “down with France,” the demonstrators shout. On Saturday, France announced that it was suspending development aid and budgetary support for the country. More than 1,500 French soldiers are stationed in Niger as part of the fight against jihadists in the region.

This Sunday, the countries of West Africa are also meeting in Abuja for an “extraordinary summit” to assess the situation with possible sanctions in the key.

The pressure is increasing every day a little more on the new strong man proclaimed in the country, putschist general Abdurakhaman Tiani, head of Niger’s presidential guard, at the origins of the fall of Mohamed Bazum, isolated for four days.

In fact, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS, 15 members) may, following this summit, for example, impose sanctions against Niger, one of its members, and therefore follow the example of the EU and France.

It will be headed by Nigerian head of state Bola Tinubu, who has been heading the West African bloc since the beginning of the month. The latter condemned the coup on Wednesday and vowed that the organization and the international community would “do everything to protect democracy” and its “rooting” in the subregion.

On Saturday evening, the junta that emerged from the putsch condemned the regional meeting, which it said had “aim” to “assert a plan of aggression against Niger.” She sees it as a threat of “inevitable military intervention in Niamey in cooperation with non-member African countries and some Western countries,” according to a press release read by junta member Amadou Abdramane on television. National.