Protesters attack French embassy in Niger as West African governments threaten coup leaders
NBCAug 05, 2023
The Facts
The French Foreign Ministry has announced that starting on Tuesday, France will begin evacuating French and European citizens from Niger who wish to leave the country following a military coup last week.
While Germany has stated that it urges German nationals to accept France's offer, both Italy and Spain have also announced plans to evacuate their citizens from Niger.
The Spin
Narrative A
While the delicate evacuation will take several days, given the plethora of coups witnessed in the Sahel in recent years, plans have long been in place in case a situation as worrying as Bazoum's overthrow occurred. The news is damaging to the Sahel region, and there's plenty of evidence to suggest that Russia is already exerting newfound influence within the state. France, other Western nations, and ECOWAS should be prepared to take action.
Narrative B
With an election without a lack of a popular majority rigged in favor of Bazoum only leading to poor management of the country, there should be no desire to see the president return to power. This is not the first time Niger has experienced a military coup, and no president has ever successfully returned from deposition.