The military junta in Niger said it blocked two French government-funded broadcasters. Meanwhile, pro-coup protesters gathered around the country on Independence Day.
Niger's military junta reportedly blocked French international news broadcasters France 24 and Radio France Internationale on Thursday amid continued unrest.
A senior Nigerien official told the AFP news agency that the broadcasters were blocked "on the instructions of the new military authorities."
The French Foreign Ministry condemned the move on Thursday night.
"France reaffirms its constant engagement and determination in favor of freedom of expression, the press, and the protection of journalists," it said in a statement.
Anti-France protests continue
The junta's crackdown on French government-funded media came as pro-coup protests continued.
Thousands of people gathered in Niamey on what was also Niger's Independence Day. People held anti-France posters and waved Russian flags.
The crowd shouted "Down with France" and "Long live Russia, long live [Vladimir] Putin," among other things.
Tahirou Ibrahim Garka, a close ally of the deposed Nigerien president who previously held public positions, believes the protests do not reflect the sentiment of most Nigeriens.
"What you saw today is a manifestation organized by the the military," he told DW. "Most of them are the military who put on clothes like civilians."
Ahead of the protests, Paris had also asked Nigerien authorities to ensure the safety of the French Embassy after it was attacked by protesters last week.
"I think people who protest against France made a big mistake because it's not about France," Garka added.
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"It's about our country. You know, a president who is democratic, democratically elected was taken hostage by somebody just because he got weapons."
Hundreds of coup supporters also took to the streets in Agadez, on the edge of the Sahara desert, and Filingue, the hometown of junta leader General Abdourahamane Tchiani.
ECOWAS delegation lands in Niamey
A delegation from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) also landed in Niamey on Thursday night.
This week, ECOWAS said it could stage an intervention if the junta in Niger does not reinstate democratically elected president Mohamed Bazoum by Sunday, although it said military action was a "last resort."
Senegal said on Thursday it would send soldiers to join ECOWAS if it decided to intervene militarily in Niger.
"It is one coup too many," said Senegalese Foreign Minister Aissata Tall Sall, refering to the coups in Burkina Faso and Mali that also installed pro-Russia juntas.
zc/msh (AFP, AP, Reuters)
