Thousands demonstrate in Niger to demand departure of American forces

NIAMEY, April 14 (YPA) – Thousands of people demonstrated yesterday, Saturday, in Niamey to demand the immediate departure of American troops stationed in northern Niger.

This came after the military regime canceled the cooperation agreement with Washington last month.

The demonstration was called for by Synergy, a group of about 10 associations that support the regime that came to power through a coup against President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26, 2023, in addition to local Islamic organizations.

The demonstrators marched in rows in the capital and waved Nigerien flags in a march that brought to mind the anti-Paris protests that led to the withdrawal of French forces from the country last year.

Many students participated in the demonstration, during which the protesters chanted, “Down with American imperialism” and “Long live the Sahel coalition” (Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger).

After expelling the French army at the end of 2023, the regime in Niger announced in March that it was abandoning “with immediate effect” a military cooperation agreement with the United States dating back to 2012, considering it “illegal.”

YPA