Thousands of demonstrators marched in the streets of Niger's capital of Niamey on Saturday, calling for the withdrawal of U.S. troops, following the government's decision to terminate a military agreement with the United States.
Braving the heatwave, young men and women holding signs staged a peaceful protest. "U.S. army, you leave, you move, you vanish," read the signs.
Marching arm in arm through central Niamey on Saturday, the crowd waved Nigerien flags in a demonstration that recalled anti-French protests that spurred the withdrawal of France’s forces from Niger last year after the army seized power in a coup.
“We’re here to say no to the American base, we don’t want Americans on our soil,” protester Maria Saley told the Reuters news agency on the sidelines of the march.
The crowd was also heard chanting “Down with American imperialism” and “The people’s liberation is on the march.”
Mohamed Alkabir, who is in charge of synergizing Nigerien civil society organizations, said that this mobilization aims to urge the U.S. side to promptly announce its timetable for withdrawing its troops from Niger.
In March, the nation halted its military pact with the United States.
A White House report to Congress indicated that approximately 650 U.S. personnel were in Niger in December.
Ties with Russia
Meanwhile, France also agreed to withdraw its troops last September in the wake of the July coup that overthrew democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum.
The new authorities in Niger joined military-run governments in neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso in ending military deals with one-time Western allies, quitting the regional political and economic bloc ECOWAS and also fostering closer ties with Russia.
The arrival on Wednesday of Russian military instructors and equipment was further evidence of the military government’s openness to closer cooperation with Moscow, which is seeking to boost its influence in Africa.
A few Russian flags were visible at the protest, but some citizens told Reuters on Friday they did not want the welcome Russian defence assistance to lead to a permanent presence in Niger.
“We must not subsequently see the implementation of Russian foreign military bases,” said Abdoulaye Seydou, the coordinator of the M62 coalition of civil society groups that led anti-French protests last year.
His concerns were echoed by student Souleymane Ousmane: “This is how the French and the Americans and all the other countries settled in Niger – from military cooperation, they ended up occupying large parts of our country,” he told Reuters.
It is still unclear, however, if or when the US troops will leave.
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