The participants in the protests demanded the withdrawal of the French military presence in the country and some tried to enter the embassy, which was prevented by the custody personnel.

Despite the police presence, the demonstrators managed to tear off the plaque installed on the embassy´s door and set fire to a window on its outer wall.

In a statement released the day before, the military members of the so-called National Council for the Safeguard of the Nation (CNSP), which staged the coup d’état, pointed out that the demonstrations were provoked by the destabilizing attitude of some Western governments, which seek an armed intervention in the African country. The CNSP announced last Wednesday through state television, the dismissal of President Mohamed Bazoum and the suspension of the institutions, as well as the closing of the borders and a night curfew.

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