Hundreds of Nigerien women protested outside the French embassy on Wednesday (August 30) morning, calling for France to remove its troops and military bases from the country.
Niger’s junta, which seized power in a coup on July 26, has ordered French ambassador Sylvain Itte to leave the country, as relations between the West African country and its former colonial ruler continue to deteriorate.
Like recent coups in neighboring Burkina Faso and Mali, the military takeover in Niger came amid a growing wave of anti-French sentiment, with some locals accusing the European country of interfering in their affairs.
Women at the Niamey French base on Wednesday, women banged on pots, pretended to sweep and chanted anti-French slogans. Meanwhile, the European Union on Wednesday took steps towards imposing sanctions to match those already imposed by West African nations.
