Following the recent mass protests and attempted invasion of the French Embassy in Niamey, Niger, the Elysée Palace declared on Sunday that French President Emmanuel Macron will not tolerate any attack on France and its interests in Niger. The French government has pledged to respond immediately and decisively.
The Elysée Palace announced, “Anyone who attacks French citizens, the military, diplomats, or French premises will face France’s immediate and robust response. The President of the Republic will not tolerate any attack on France and its interests.”
The French government further added that it supports all regional initiatives aimed at “restoring the constitutional order and returning the elected President Mohamed Bazoum, who was ousted by the coup plotters.”
Thousands of people demonstrated in front of the French Embassy in Niamey on Sunday. The protest was forcefully dispersed using tear gas. The event was a large gathering supporting the military coup which ousted the elected President Mohamed Bazoum of Niger. Before the deployment of tear gas, several soldiers were stationed in front of the embassy to calm the protesters.
Some protestors attempted to break into the embassy building while others removed the sign reading “Embassy of France in Niger.” The protestors trampled the sign and replaced it with Russian and Niger flags, shouting “Long live Russia” and “Down with France.”
France, an ally of the deposed president and which deploys 1,500 soldiers in Niger, announced on Saturday that it would suspend its aid.
A small number of protesters headed towards the U.S. Embassy, whose Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, affirmed his country’s “steadfast” support for the deposed President Bazoum.
The demonstration started with a march towards the National Assembly, where the protestors waved the flags of Russia and Niger. A civil movement, ’em26′, which has previously protested against the French military’s operation Barkhane in the Sahel and desert, called for the Sunday demonstration despite the ban on gatherings.
Following Mali and Burkina Faso, Niger, which has been targeted by groups affiliated with ISIS and Al-Qaeda, is the third country in the region to experience a coup since 2020.
