The demonstrators declared their hostility towards France. A taxi driver named Ibrahim explained the reasons for his anger, reports Le Figaro. “The country has been living under the boot of the Bazums, Issouf (the ousted president and his predecessor) for twelve years. They decided to continue colonizing France. Now is the time to break free,” he said calmly.
Niger, a former French colony, despite having large reserves of resources, is one of the poorest and most corrupt countries not only on the African continent, but in the world. On Wednesday, a group of soldiers, including members of the presidential guard, ousted the pro-Western head of state Mohamed Bazum from power.
France, which has 1,500 troops stationed in Niger, said on Saturday it would suspend development aid and budget support for the West African nation. For his part, the head of the European Union diplomatic mission, Josep Borrell, has announced the immediate cessation of security cooperation with Niger for an indefinite period. The African Union has given the military in Niger two weeks to restore “constitutional authority.”
