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BBC OS Conversations: Living through a coup

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Living through a coup

04/08/2023 GMT

BBC World Service - BBC OS Conversations, Living through a coup

Friends in Niger share their experiences of the recent coup

Friends in Niger share their experiences of the recent coup.

Niger has been the focus of international and diplomatic attention over the past week after its democratically elected president was removed from power by the military. In recent days, we have seen hundreds of foreign nationals leave the West African country. 

For most people in Niger though it is about trying to get on with life – amid the uncertainty – in a country that consistently ranks as having the lowest standards of living anywhere in the world. Host James Reynolds hears from two friends in Niger, Sadissou and Sidien, who share their different perspectives on events.

Joe, Saadiyah and Esther all experienced coups as children. Esther tells us about what happened when soldiers invaded her family home in Ghana: “You hear the sounds of soldiers and gunfire and they break into our home and ransack the entire house.”

Joe recalls the 1981 coup attempt in Spain and Saadiyah shares her memories of the 1999 coup in Pakistan. Both have vivid memories of TV broadcasts at the time and the – seemingly inevitable – military marches that were played. 

We also hear from two journalists who have experienced coups in their countries. Omar Wally from the Gambia and Ouezin Louis Oulon, a journalist in Burkina Faso, give us an insight into the dangers of covering coups and how social media channels are increasingly important for would-be leaders. 

A joint production between the BBC OS team and Boffin Media.

(Photo: Daily life in Niamey following military coup, Niger - 02 Aug 2023. Credit: ISSIFOU DJIBO/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

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