NIGER'S REVOLUTIONARY STUDENTS MARCH FOR MARTYRS

Niger has been making headlines since its military ousted a Western-aligned leader in a people-backed coup d’état on 26 July 2023. 

However, unbeknownst to many, Niger's revolution comes after several decades of mass struggle by workers and students. Nigerien students have been fighting for socialism and Pan-Africanism through the Union of Nigerien Students (Union des Scolaires Nigériens or USN, @union_des_scolaires_nigeriens on Instagram) for the past 65 years. Unfortunately, some of these organised and politicised students have paid the ultimate price. One such example took place on 9 February 1990, when then-president General Ali Chaïbou’s (1940-2011) security forces massacred three Nigerien students. Since then, an annual march in all eight of Niger’s regions honours the slain.

Today, students see a brighter future ahead. The National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP) government has already brought about major changes to the infrastructure of the educational system. The country is a part of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), a Pan-African confederation of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger that is working on developing a joint school curriculum adapted to the Sahel region's culture, history and material needs.

African Stream's Inemesit Richardson spoke to students on the ground.