THOUSANDS of demonstrators in Niamey gathered in front of the French Embassy to show their discontent that France and the European Union have decided to cut off their financial assistance to Niger.
They were heard shouting support for Niger’s Junta leader, general Abdourahamane Tiani, and Russian President Vladimir Putin— although, the Kremlin itself has called for the release of Niger’s democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum.
Reports say the coup supporters burned the flag of France in front of the embassy.
Demonstrators were also seen throwing back tear gas at the building as columns of smoke rise in the surroundings.
Pro-coup protesters said they want to send a message to those who are against the military takeover, including the United Nations, the African Union, and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
“We send this message to the UN, to the African Union (AU), to ECOWAS to all those who think that Niger is in an illegal situation today, who know that it is today that Niger is within its rights. Because look at all these beautiful people who came out. If they were asked to go out yesterday to demonstrate their freedom, they couldn’t do it. Because today all you have to do is tell the truth and you will be locked up in prison. I did it and today I had the freedom to express myself to speak to the entire Nigerien people and to say that today we are free. The Nigerian people have been destroyed for 13 years and today by the National Committee for the Salvation of the People (CNSP) we are slowly getting up and I thank them,” Niger Pro-coup Protesters said.
In response to the coup in the African country, French President Emmanuel Macron declared that France would react promptly to any aggression against French interests in Niger.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed condemnation towards the military takeover, urging for Bazoum’s immediate and unconditional release, and calling on all parties to exercise restraint.
West African nations implemented economic and travel sanctions against Niger’s newly appointed military leaders.
They issued a stern ultimatum, vowing to resort to force if the deposed President Mohammed Bazoum is not reinstated within a week.
ECOWAS has said, “If President Tiani has not released Bazoum within 15 days, they must intervene. We, the former combatants of Niger, are ready. We will give ourselves, we will also intervene and we will help to protect the country. Not even just ECOWAS, but all of Africa if they want, they just have to prepare their soldiers. They are going to come here to Niger, we are going to attack them, we are ready to die for our country, even tomorrow we are ready, we are veterans.”
After attempting to set the embassy on fire and ransack it, the embassy security responded by firing tear gas to disperse the crowd without further escalation.
While the attackers were attacking the doors, high-ranking generals of the Niger Army arrived at the scene to intervene and disperse them.
It can be remembered that Bazoum had previously reached an agreement with France in 2022, which allows them to deploy their troops from Mali, their neighboring country to the West, to assist his government.
Wagner chief offers services to Niger
Meanwhile, Russian Paramilitary Group Wagner’s Boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin has hailed the coup.
A voice message on telegram channels associated with Wagner, which they say was Prigozhin, said that the paramilitary did not claim involvement in the Niger coup but described the event as a long-overdue liberation from Western colonizers. He also offered the services of his fighters.
“Therefore, what happened in Niger is nothing other than the struggle of the people of Niger with their colonizers— against colonizers who are trying to foist their rules of life on them and their conditions and keep them in the state that Africa was in hundreds of years ago,” Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner PMC Chief said.
And today, they are actually gaining independence.
Everything else, of course, depends on the Niger citizens themselves, and also on how efficiently the administration will be carried out.
But the most important thing is to get rid of the colonizers.
