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The Hottest New Accessory in Niger? A Russian Flag. [1]
['Elian Peltier', 'More About Elian Peltier']
Date: 2023-10-01
Young people in West African capitals wave the flags at protests or as they race through cities on motorcycles. Tailors sew dozens of them a day in the narrow alleys of buzzing markets. Taxi drivers put them on their dashboards.
Among the sea of flags flying high in a burst of patriotic fervor in Burkina Faso, Mali and lately Niger, countries that have recently undergone military coups, the red, white and blue flag of the Russian Federation has become commonplace. While it carries political overtones, it has emerged as a trendy accessory, much like a Che Guevara illustration a generation ago in the West.
“Stylish,” Nana Fidaous said about the loose outfit made with Russia’s colors that she had donned at a recent pro-military demonstration in Niger’s capital, Niamey. A high school student, Ms. Fidaous said she wasn’t sure about the symbolic meaning of wearing Russia’s colors. But she said it was time to learn more about President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia and what he could bring to Niger, which has been squeezed by sanctions and border closures by its West African neighbors in the wake of the coup.
As Russia has made inroads in some West and Central African countries, its flag has been the most visible sign of a broader geopolitical shift in the region, along with Russian weapons and mercenaries.
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[1] Url:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/01/world/africa/russian-flags-west-africa-niger.html
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