Protesters Waving Russian Flags Attack French Embassy in Niger

On Sunday, thousands of supporters of the Niger revolution marched through the streets of the city waiving the Russian flag, protesting France, the country’s former colonial power. Protesters tried to set a door at the French Embassy on fire until the army broke up the crowd.

Demonstrators in Niger openly oppose France, and some view Russia as a powerful option. The degree of Russia’s involvement, if any, in the rallies is unclear, but some protestors have carried Russian flags and posters saying “Down with France” and praising Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Wagner, a Russian mercenary outfit, is working in neighbouring Mali, and Russia’s influence in West Africa has grown under Putin. The officials of the new junta have not stated whether they aim to align with Moscow or with Niger’s Western friends.

targets on France and its interests, according to French President Emmanuel Macron, will not be accepted, and anyone who targets French individuals will face an immediate retaliation.

Niger a Former French Colony

Niger, a French territory until 1960, was regarded as the West’s last solid ally in the fight against Islamists in Africa’s Sahel area. France has 1,500 soldiers in the country who work along with the Nigeriens on joint missions. The United States and other European countries have aided in the training of the country’s forces.

The West African group known as ECOWAS declared an emergency meeting on Sunday, suspending relations with Niger and authorising the use of force if President Mohamed Bazoum is not reinstated within a week. The African Union has given the Niger junta a 15-day deadline to reinstall the democratically elected government.

According to the Chadian state radio station, Chadian President Mahamat Deby landed in Niger shortly after the ECOWAS meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, to spearhead mediation efforts.

In the past, ECOWAS has struggled to have a lasting impact on the region’s political challenges, but Bazoum was democratically elected two years ago in Niger’s first peaceful transfer of power since independence from France in 1960.

Members of the Niger military removed Bazoum on Wednesday and designated Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani as the country’s new leader on Friday, adding Niger to a growing number of military governments in West Africa’s Sahel region.

Rising extremist violence

Some mutiny leaders said they deposed Bazoum because he was unable to secure the country against rising extremist violence. However, some observers and Nigerians believe that this was merely a pretext for an internal power struggle-driven takeover.

“We couldn’t expect a coup in Niger because there’s no social, political, or security situation that would justify the military seizing power,” University of Niamey professor Amad Hassane Boubacar told The Associated Press.

He stated that Bazoum wished to succeed Tchiani as chief of the presidential guard. Tchiani, also known as Omar, was loyal to Bazoum’s predecessor, which caused complications, according to Boubacar.

The security situation in Niger is not as terrible as it is in neighbouring Burkina Faso or Mali, which are both fighting an Islamic insurgency linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State organisation. According to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, Niger was the only one of the three to witness a decrease in violence last year.

Some attendees at Sunday’s event warned outsiders to stay away.

“I would also like to say to the European Union, African Union, and ECOWAS, please, please stay out of our business,” Oumar Barou Moussa said during the protest. “It’s time for us to take charge of our lives and work for ourselves.” It is time for us to discuss our freedom and liberty.”

Given the millions of dollars in military aid it has received from overseas, Niger has the most at stake of any Sahel country if it rejects the West.

On Saturday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that ongoing security and economic cooperation with the US is contingent on the release of Bazoum, who is still under house arrest, and “the immediate restoration of democratic order in Niger.”

Macron stated on Sunday that he spoke with Bazoum and his predecessor. France froze all development and financial help to Niger on Saturday.

The EU’s reaction to Niger Coup

The 15-nation ECOWAS bloc has tried in vain to restore democracy in countries where the military has recently taken power. In West and Central Africa, four countries are ruled by military administrations, and there have been nine successful or attempted coups since 2020.

While the bloc has struggled to make a significant impact, the penalties imposed on Niger on Sunday demonstrate the urgency of the problem, according to Andrew Lebovich, a research fellow at the Clingendael Institute.

“The strenuous measures they have put in place or threatened to put in place show not only how seriously they are taking this crisis, but also the urgency that the regional body and larger international community feel in trying to force a return to normalcy that will likely prove elusive,” he said.

The EU’s reaction to Niger differs from how it handled recent coups in Mali and Burkina Faso, which did not involve the threat of military intervention if constitutional order was not restored.

It has dispatched soldiers into member countries a few times in the recent few decades.

ECOWAS engaged in Liberia during its civil conflict in the 1990s. It intervened in The Gambia in 2017 to prevent the incoming president’s predecessor, Yahya Jammeh, from disrupting the power transition. According to the Global Observatory, which provides analysis on peace and security issues, approximately 7,000 troops from Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal invaded.

Economic sanctions might have a significant impact on Nigeriens, who live in the world’s third poorest country, according to the most recent United Nations data. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, the country imports up to 90% of its power from Nigeria. The sanctions will halt all economic and financial dealings between ECOWAS member states and Niger.

Col. Major Amadou Abdramane, one of the soldiers who evicted Bazoum, accused the gathering of devising a “plan of aggression” against Niger and declared the country will defend itself in a televised statement Saturday.

“Tensions with the military remain high. “There could be another coup after this one, or a stronger intervention from ECOWAS, possibly with military force,” said Tatiana Smirnova, a researcher at the Centre FrancoPaix specialising in conflict resolution and peace missions. “Many actors are also trying to negotiate, but the outcome is unclear.”