Massive anti-French protests erupted again outside its military base in Niamey, Niger, threatening to storm the base if Frances

Massive anti-French protests erupted again outside its military base in Niamey, Niger, threatening to storm the base if France’s roughly 1,500 troops don’t leave the country within a week. The former colonial power ignored a deadline to withdraw its ambassador, saying “putschists have no authority.” That same day, tens of thousands gathered at Niamey Stadium for a military-called rally as a show of force one month after the coup takeover that toppled the pro-Western government of President Mohamed Bazoum. Niger’s coup leaders warned that troops from the regional ECOWAS alliance, which threatened a military invasion, had been put on “high alert.” Last week, Niger officially signed a military agreement with Burkina Faso and Mali, allowing the two neighboring countries to intervene militarily in Niger against ECOWAS forces. ECOWAS, backed by the EU and US, rejected an offer by Niger’s coup leaders to hold democratic elections after a three-year transition period. #source Источник: Slavyangrad