The atmosphere is increasingly tense in Niger, ten days after the coup that overthrew the elected president. The day after, Monday, the expiration of a West African ultimatum demanding the return to constitutional order under penalty of the use of “force”, calm reigns, but for how long?
Faced with the instability of the situation and the anti-French slogans chanted during proputschist demonstrations, French authorities have classified in red, for “strongly discouraged”, all regions of the country. “French nationals in Niger are called upon to be extremely vigilant: it is essential to limit travel, to stay away from any gathering and to keep themselves regularly informed of the situation”, explains on its website the Quai d ‘Orsay.
Risk of attack and kidnapping
The ministry also insists on “the risk of attack, as well as the threat of kidnapping targeting Westerners remain high in Niger” stressing that “places frequented by foreigners can be particularly targeted by these attacks”.
“The actions perpetrated by several armed terrorist groups on Niger’s borders with Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin, Nigeria and Chad (kidnappings, bombings, attacks) attest to the ability of these groups to conduct operations in Niger, despite the mobilization and the operational increase in power of the country’s security and defense forces to combat them”, the authorities further develop.