niger s prime minister was in paris on saturday meeting lawmakers and greeting protestors outside the country s embassy. he has dismissed pro coup protests taking place in his country. 0ur correspondent in lagos in neighbouring nigeria explained why many residents support the coup. they still feel that their former colonial masters, france, has a lot of power in terms of political and economic power over them. they do not feel completely independent despite gaining independence since 1960. some of them also say that france has not helped in any way to change the situation in the region where it has been marred with islamist and jihadist movements, you know, in the sahel region. and so they really want a change and they believe that the the coup leaders would bring that
live from london, this is bbc news. dozens of people are dead after an express train derails in southern pakistan. 100 others are reported injured. in niger a deadline set by west african leaders for the militaryjunta to step down and reinstate the country s president is now hours away. and at the women s world cup, the defending champions, the usa are knocked out by sweden after a tense penalty shootout. hello, i m samantha simmonds. we start with breaking news from southern pakistan where at least 30 people have been killed in a rail derailment. another 50 are injured. the hazara express came off the rails near nawabshah in sindh province, as it travelled from
migrants getting across the mediterranean sea. he has also cracked down on human trafficking. next, strategically. niger hosts both us and french military bases, and was seen as a key partner in the fight against islamist militants. indeed, the us state department said it was important as a linchpin for stability, adding that it was a reliable counterterrorism partner in the fight against those insurgents linked to islamic state and also al-qaeda. the wagner mercenaries, acted elsewhere in the region, have also been seen as having a malign influence in niger. you may have seen this picture student some recent protests in support of the coup, holding russian flags as well as flying the flag of niger. economically, the country is rich in uranium, indeed it is one of the world s biggest producers. it provides around 5%
the wagner mercenaries, acted elsewhere in the region, have also been seen as having a malign influence in niger. you may have seen this picture student some recent protests in support of the coup, holding russian flags as well as flying the flag of niger. economically, the country is rich in uranium, indeed it is one of the world s biggest producers. it provides around 5% of global uranium supplies. indeed, the radioactive metal is so important that one of the main thoroughfares through the capital is actually named after it. but it is worth remembering that the people of niger consistently rank among some of the poorest in terms of living standards anywhere in the world. in the last hour, talks hosted by saudi arabia on finding a way to end the war between russia and ukraine have ended with no sign of concrete action.
some neighbouring countries including mali, burkina faso and guinea have voiced support for the coup leaders. and algeria which borders niger to the north has said it is categorically against armed intervention. france says it will support efforts by ecowas to restore niger s elected president. niger s prime minister was in paris on saturday ? meeting lawmakers and greeting protestors outside the country s embassy. he has dismissed pro coup protests taking place in niger. our correspondent in lagos in neighbouring nigeria, explained why many residents support the coup.