Just a few days after the change of regime in Niger, pro-coup protesters were seen waving the Russian flag as they staged demonstrations in the streets of the crisis-hit nation. Media reports mentioned that in the capital city of Niamey, demonstrators were seen with Russian flags. Across West Africa, support for Russia has seen a rise amid anti-French sentiment.
The report mentioned that Oumarou carefully ran cuts of white, blue and red fabric under his sewing machine, as he was assembling them into the three horizontal bands of Russia’s flag.
It is similar to pro-Russian sentiments following previous military takeovers in other West African countries, alarming the West who see it as a symbol of their influence slipping out of the hands of some long-standing regional partners.
As quoted, Oumarou said: “This is a Russian flag I’m sewing right now. Lately, people have been coming to my workshop to make flags for Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea. On the day of the rally at the national stadium, for example, many people came to sew flags – but especially from Russia.”
“Since the coup, I have made dozens of these,” said Oumarou, who works in the capital Niamey.
Fabric vendor, Dedeya Alhassane, told the news agency: “Over the past few days, I’ve been selling fabrics in the colours of Russia. Traders and people from the city are buying these fabrics.”
Alhassane said that he can’t estimate how much fabric has been sold lately, but when a product is easy to buy, it becomes difficult to stock very early on.
