France says it is planning an evacuation from Niger after a coup last week in the former French colony. Military governments in Burkina Faso and Mali said earlier that military intervention in Niger would be considered a “declaration of war” against them.
There has been no clear explanation of the Russian symbols, but the country seems to symbolize anti-Western feelings for the demonstrators.
If ECOWAS uses force, it could also trigger violence between civilians supporting the coup and those against it, Niger analysts say. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday commended the resolve of the ECOWAS leadership to “defend constitutional order in Niger” after the sanctions announcement, and joined the bloc in calling for the immediate release of Bazoum and his family.
Both the United States and France have sent troops and hundreds of millions of dollars of military and humanitarian aid in recent years to Niger, which was a French colony until 1960.
“When people say there’s an embargo, land borders are closed, air borders are closed, it’s extremely difficult for people ... Niger is a country that relies heavily on the international community,” he said.
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