Thousands rally in Niger seeking withdrawal of French troops

Thousands of protesters rallied in Niger’s capital Niamey to call for the withdrawal of French troops, as demanded by a junta that seized power in June.

The demonstrators gathered near a base housing French soldiers on Saturday, after a call by several civic organisations hostile to the French military presence in the west African country.

They held up banners proclaiming “French army leave our country”.

The march was boosted by fresh arrivals in the afternoon and a dense crowd formed at a roundabout near the French military base on Niamey’s outskirts.

Niger’s military regime had fired a new verbal broadside at France on Friday, accusing Paris of “blatant interference” by backing the country’s ousted president, as protesters held a similar rally.

President Mohamed Bazoum, a French ally whose election in 2021 had stoked hopes of stability in the troubled country, was detained on 26 July by members of his guard.

Relations with France, the country’s former colonial power and ally in its fight against jihadism, went swiftly downhill after Paris stood by Bazoum.

On 3 August, the regime announced the scrapping of military agreements with France, which has 1,500 soldiers stationed in the country, a move that Paris has ignored on the grounds of legitimacy.

The agreements cover various timeframes, although one of them dating from 2012 is due to expire within a month, according to military leaders.

The military rulers have also announced the immediate “expulsion” of the French ambassador, Sylvain Itté, and said they are withdrawing his diplomatic immunity. They said his presence constituted a threat to public order.

But the French president, Emmanuel Macron, on Monday hailed Itté’s work in Niger and said he remained in the country despite being given a 48-hour deadline to leave Niger last Friday.