Thousands are calling for the removal of French forces from Niger

The military regime in charge of the African nation accused Paris of “blatant interference” by supporting the ousted leader.

Once more, tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered outside the French military post in Niamey, the capital of Niger, to call for the departure of French troops from the nation. A call from a number of community organisations protesting the military presence of the former colonial authority in the area was the impetus for the demonstration.

Prior to the weekend march, there were a number of smaller demonstrations that were “relatively calm and organised,” according to Al Jazeera. However, some of the protesters were spotted on Saturday “breaking the barriers set up by the security forces, police, and the military” and attempting to enter the installation, which is home to about 1,500 soldiers.

The signs that the protesters in Niamey carried read, “French army, leave our country.”

The French military had warned that it would strike back if its military and diplomatic facilities were targeted in the escalating tensions, but the demonstrators refused to leave.

According to a demonstrator who spoke to Al Jazeera, “We want to fight to remove all military bases from our country.” “It’s not what we want. due to the presence of terrorism in this country for more than 13 years. He emphasised that they were uninterested in stopping terrorism.

By supporting deposed president Bazoum, who has been detained since July 26, Paris has been charged with “blatant interference” by Niger’s military government.

In a statement on Friday, President Emmanuel Macron stated that he spoke to the ousted Nigerien leader “every day” and expressed his support for the Bazoum government. Military authorities in Niger reacted negatively to the president of France’s comments, accusing him of adopting “divisive rhetoric and seeking to perpetrate neo-colonial relationships.”

Colonel Amadou Abdramane, the military government’s spokesman in Niger, responded to Macron’s remarks by saying they “constitute further blatant interference in Niger’s domestic affairs,” adding that Niger’s “differences” with France “do not touch on the relationship between our peoples, or on individuals, but on the relevance of the French military presence in Niger.”

The military leaders asked for the “immediate expulsion” of the French ambassador Sylvain Itte and stated last month that they were cancelling their military relations with France. Due to the fact that the envoy’s presence poses a threat to public order, his diplomatic immunity had been revoked.

The ambassador will stay in Niamey despite pressure from “illegitimate authorities,” France said in a statement in response to a request to repatriate the official from its former territory.