Niger: violence in Téra during the passage of the French military convoy
Burkinabè soldiers patrol near a fenced area where French soldiers are entrenched, November 20, 2021. © OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT / AFP
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
The French military convoy heading for the Malian town of Gao was again attacked on Sunday morning in Téra, in western Niger.
It is this same convoy of 90 vehicles that had been blocked for several days by demonstrators in Kaya, Burkina Faso.
According to the Nigerien government, two people died and 18 were injured in Sunday morning clashes in Niger.
Advertising
Read more
The convoy, coming from Burkina Faso, stopped Friday evening near the town of Téra, just under 200 km west of Niamey, to spend the night there, before resuming the road the next day. , according to the staff of the French armies.
On Sunday morning, the convoy of the French army escorted by Nigerien gendarmes was blocked, as it crossed Téra, by angry young demonstrators who had erected barricades and burned tires on the main axis of the city.
►
To read also: Burkina Faso: the French military convoy left for Niger
The staff of the French armies affirms that the security forces intervened for the first time, in particular by firing tear gas to protect the convoy and try to disperse the demonstrators who tried to approach the vehicles.
The French and Nigerien forces intervened again, later in the morning, by carrying out warning shots, followed by shots on the ground.
The toll is still likely to change, as several seriously injured were evacuated to Niamey while others were being taken care of at Téra hospital.
The convoy finally left Téra at midday, to resume its progress towards its final destination: the French military base of Gao, in Mali.
►
To read also: Sahel: "The movement of hostility to the French presence is likely to worsen"
Newsletter
Receive all international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_FR
Niger
Burkina Faso