Huge protests in Niger call for French forces to leave after coup

A demonstrator holds a goat dressed and painted in the colours of the French flag while thousands of Nigeriens gather in front of the French army headquarter, in support of the putschist soldiers and to demand the French army to leave, in Niamey, Niger September 2, 2023. REUTERS/Mahamadou Hamidou

NIAMEY (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of protesters gathered outside a French military base in Niger's capital Niamey on Saturday demanding that its troops leave in the wake of a military coup that has widespread popular support but which Paris refuses to recognise.

The July 26 coup - one of eight in West and Central Africa since 2020 - has sucked in global powers concerned about a shift to military rule across the region.