Niger citizens have trooped to the streets of Niamey to register their support for the military regime that sacked former President Mohamed Bazoum.
Nigeriens have now denounced Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu with insults and renamed him ‘Ebola’ for his position in the political situation in Niger.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), led by Tinubu, had immediately responded to the coup d’état in Niger by condemning it.
In an ECOWAS extraordinary session held on Sunday, Tinubu announced the West African bloc’s decision to place sanctions on Niger and its putschists. ECOWAS also gave the military junta a week to restore constitutional power to Bazoum or risk a forceful intervention.
In a video captured on TikTok this week, Nigerien protesters called Tinubu ‘Ebola Tinubu’ and chanted their disagreement with ECOWAS, France, and the United States.
A banner in the video read, “Fossile du précambrien, ami d’enfance de ADO et Brigette Macron fils illégitime de Joe Biden, Président en exercice des foutaises de la CEDEAO”. This is closely translated as “Precambrian fossil, childhood friend of ADO and Brigitte Macron, illegitimate son of Joe Biden, president-in-office of ECOWAS bullshit.”
France, the United States, and the United Kingdom began to evacuate their citizens from Niger on Wednesday. Foreign nationals have been advised to leave the country after ECOWAS hinted military intervention and Niger citizens laid siege to the French embassy in Niamey.
Although ECOWAS had given Niger military leaders Sunday as the deadline to reinstate Bazoum, Tinubu sent a diplomatic team to dialogue with them on Thursday. Former Nigerian military head of state Abdusalami Abubakar was a member of the team.
