Protests Banned in Niger After Coup D’éTat

On Thursday, following the coup d'état that took place in Niger on July 26, the Nigerien Interior Ministry banned demonstrations or acts of repudiation, saying that "all legal measures" will be applied to comply with this measure.

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"Therefore, the forces of law and order have firm instructions to protect people and their property by all legal means, questioning any individual caught committing an act of vandalism and applying to him, without weakness, the legal measures commensurate with the seriousness of this behavior," the statement stressed.

The secretary general of the Ministry of Interior, Seydou Halidou was the figure of the new coup government who announced the measure, while describing the protests that took place on Thursday morning against the coup as "vandalism and malicious acts".

On the other hand, dozens of coup supporters ransacked and set fire to the headquarters of the ruling party in Niamey, while the chief of staff, General Abdou Sidikou Issa, announced that the military command of the Armed Forces of Niger (FAN) decided to support the declaration of the coup leaders.

The exact number of people injured in Niamey during the protests, in which demonstrators stormed the headquarters of the president's party and burned about twenty vehicles, is still unknown.

Meanwhile, Niger's Foreign Minister Hassoumi Massoudou from his Twitter account stated about the coup d'état that "this act of factious officers aims, as elsewhere, to call into question our hard-won freedoms, our democracy and the progress made.

The military junta, calling itself the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Homeland (CLSP) announced on Wednesday the dismissal of President Mohamed Bazoum, as well as the suspension of institutions and the closure of borders.