Thousands protest against government in Niger

Thousands of people have taken to the streets in Niamey, the capital of Niger, to protest against the government.

The protest was held on Saturday, when mostly young men marched to the capital building.

“Down with the government” and “Our country or death, we will prevail,” shouted the demonstrators.

When asked about the reason behind the protest, Moussa Tchangari, one of the protest organizers, said, “It is just a general despair. The wrongs we are denouncing are numerous.”

In recent weeks, however, shop owners’ unions across the African country have been calling for the cancellation of an agreement their government made with France. The deal made back in 2014 basically gives a French company monopoly over the operations of the two largest customs warehouses in the country.

Protesters said during their Saturday rally that the deal was one of the issues they were angry with because it prompted a significant increase in taxes.

Another reason the demonstrators were out on the streets was the power outages, which plunge the country into darkness for several days at a time. The demonstrators say this is due to heavy disturbances in the supply of electricity from neighboring Nigeria.

The protesters also want the government to revoke a decision that would increase the number of parliament members from 113 to 171 in 2016.

“This is yet another unnecessary burden for Nigeriens to bear,” said Djibril Abarchi, another one of the organizers at the gathering.

Next year, Niger is set to hold parliamentary and presidential elections. President Mahamadou Issoufou, who has been running the country since 2011, is reportedly set to run for another term in power.

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