Amid growing security concerns in Western nations, thousands rallied in Niger’s capital to support the coup, with some brandishing Russian flags and chanting anti-French slogans. While Western countries have initiated embassy personnel evacuations.
As security concerns mounted among Western nations, thousands of people rallied Thursday in Niger’s capital to support the coup that toppled the democratically elected government.
Demonstrators in the heart of Niamey, some brandishing giant Russian flags, chanted anti-French slogans at the demonstration called to mark the anniversary of the West African nation’s 1960 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.
US President Joe Biden demanded Bazoum’s immediate release, calling for the “preservation of Niger’s hard-earned democracy.”
The clock is ticking down on the demand made Sunday by the West African regional bloc ECOWAS for the coup leaders to restore Bazoum to power within a week or face the possible “last resort” of military intervention.
Paris, which said Thursday it had completed its evacuation flights, urged the junta led by General Abdourahamane Tiani to “fully guarantee” the safety of embassies in Niamey ahead of Thursday’s independence protests.
European citizens have been evacuating from Niger, crucial in French and Western strategies to combat a jihadist insurgency that has rampaged across the Sahel since 2012.
Britain and the United States have announced the pulling back of embassy personnel in Niger as a precaution, a week after the internationally condemned toppling of elected President Mohamed Bazoum.
The US State Department ordered a partial evacuation for non-emergency government employees and eligible family members from its embassy, and warned US citizens not to travel to Niger. However, the United States did not order mass evacuations or suspend aid to Niger.
Miroslava Salazar, with AFP
