Who blinks first? France defies Niger coup leaders' ultimatum

Both France and the United States have troops stationed in Niger as part of the fight against jihadist insurgents. We ask about their differing approaches to a coup that's got president Mohamed Bazoum under house arrest. How effectively can France fight the narrative fuelled by Russia of a meddling former colonial power that's blamed for Niger’s current ills?

The outcome matters, both to citizens of one of the world’s poorest nations and to neighbours wary of continued coup contagion. Talk last month of a West African regional intervention has mostly gone quiet. So what will break the impasse?

Prepared by François Picard, Juliette Laurain, Lauren Bain and Imen Mellaz.

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