'Leave our country': Thousands in Niger demand withdrawal of French troops

Thousands have rallied in Niger's capital Niamey to demand that former colonial ruler France withdraw its troops as sought by a junta that seized power in June.

The protesters gathered on Saturday near a base housing French soldiers following a call by several civic organisations hostile to the French military presence in the West African country.

They held up banners proclaiming "French army leave our country".

The demonstration was boosted by fresh arrivals in the afternoon and a dense crowd formed at a roundabout near the French military base on Niamey's outskirts.

Niger's military regime had fired a new verbal broadside at France on Friday, accusing Paris of "blatant interference" by backing the country's ousted president, as protesters held a similar rally.

The military rulers have also announced the immediate "expulsion" of the French ambassador Sylvain Itte and said they are withdrawing his diplomatic immunity. They said his presence constituted a threat to public order.

But French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday hailed Itte's work in Niger and said he remained in the country despite being given a 48-hour deadline to leave Niger last Friday.

Political turmoil

Niger was plunged into turmoil on July 26 when General Abdourahamane Tchiani, a former commander of the presidential guard, led a military intervention that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.

Relations with France, the country's former colonial power and ally in its fight against terrorism, went swiftly downhill after Paris stood by Bazoum.

On August 3, the regime announced the scrapping of military agreements with France, a move that Paris has ignored on the grounds of legitimacy.

The French military warned it would respond if any renewed tensions target its military and diplomatic facilities in Niger, which hosts around 1,500 French troops as part of a regional counterinsurgency force.

The agreements cover various timeframes, although one of them dating from 2012 is set to expire within a month, according to military leaders.