NIGERIENS BACK COUP LEADERS ONE YEAR ON

It’s been a year since Niger had a revolutionary coup d’etat that rallied widespread public support. But how do Nigeriens feel today about their new government led by The National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP)? Well, we headed to the capital Niamey to find out. And the reaction was overwhelmingly positive.

From women’s organisations to political parties and community groups, most back the country’s drive for greater independence away from former colonial power France.

One of the organisations we caught up with was The Union of Nigerien Scholars. It’s existed since August 1960, before Niger’s independence, and has witnessed the country’s evolution every step of the way. It’s a mass Marxist-Leninist trade union that’s based around Niger’s schools and universities and it’s publicly backing and working alongside the CNSP. Their positive reaction just one of many we received.

This might come as a shock if you’ve been reading reports on the anniversary by US news agency Associated Press. It claims there’s ‘growing frustration’ on the streets, and businesses are ‘failing’. Well, for the record, we went there to find out first hand and, honestly, it was hard to come across anyone who didn’t support Niger’s new revolutionary leaders.