Thousands protest near French base in Niger, some brandishing Russian flags

Thousands of coup supporters have rallied near a French military base in Niger, a day after West African leaders said they would muster a "standby" force in their efforts to reinstate the country's deposed leader.

Protesters near the base on the outskirts of the capital Niamey shouted on Friday "down with France, down with ECOWAS", referring to the West African bloc, which approved the deployment of a "standby force to restore constitutional order" in Niger.

Niger's new leaders have accused ex-colonial power France, a close Bazoum ally, of being behind the hardline ECOWAS stance against the coup.

Many brandished Russian and Niger flags and shouted their support for the country's new strongman, General Abdourahamane Tiani.

"We are going to make the French leave! ECOWAS isn't independent, it's being manipulated by France," said one demonstrator, Aziz Rabeh Ali, a member of a students' union.

France has around 1,500 personnel in Niger as part of a force battling an eight-year militant insurgency.

It is facing growing hostility across the Sahel, withdrawing its anti-militant forces from neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso last year after falling out with military governments that ousted elected leaders.

Niger's new leaders scrapped defence agreements with France last week, while a hostile protest outside the French embassy in Niamey on July 30 prompted Paris to evacuate its citizens.

Fears for Bazoum

The European Union and African Union joined others in sounding the alarm for Bazoum on Friday.

"Bazoum and his family, according to the latest information, have been deprived of food, electricity and medical care for several days," said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

UN rights chief Volker Turk said Bazoum's reported detention conditions "could amount to inhuman and degrading treatment, in violation of international human rights law."

The AU echoed the concern, saying "such treatment of a democratically elected president" was "unacceptable".

Human Rights Watch said it had spoken to Bazoum earlier this week.

The 63-year-old described the treatment of himself, his wife and their 20-year-old son as "inhuman and cruel", HRW said.

"I'm not allowed to receive my family members (or), my friends who have been bringing food and other supplies to us," the group quoted him as saying.

"My son is sick, has a serious heart condition, and needs to see a doctor," he was quoted as saying.

"They've refused to let him get medical treatment."

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Source: TRT