Niger’s protests are ramping up. Here’s why
On March 11, thousands of protesters descended on Niamey, the capital of Niger. Civil society leaders organized the march to denounce a new finance law they deemed “antisocial” for imposing taxes that they feared would raise living costs for citizens, while subsidizing the country’s utilities companies. Since October, opponents and supporters of the law have taken to the streets.
The official purpose of the law was to increase the taxation rate in order to satisfy criteria for membership in the West African Economic Monetary Union.
But this was just the latest sign of unrest in Niger, where protests have spiked in frequency over the past several years, as the chart below shows.… Seguir leyendo »