Niger, Syria, Bahrain-Israel.

Today's three stories you should know.

Sep 04, 2023

Niger

France insists it is sticking around in Niger despite protests against the presence of its troops and the country’s military coup leaders demanding its ambassador leave. French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna today told Le Monde newspaper that ambassador Sylvain Itte was France’s representative to Niger’s "legitimate authorities," meaning the toppled government of President Mohamed Bazoum. France has about 1,500 soldiers in Niger who were part of a force supporting Bazoum’s government in its battle against an insurgency in the Sahel region.

Syria

Hundreds of demonstrators are reported to have smashed a statue of Syria’s late president as protests against President Bashar al-Assad’s government entered their third week in southern Syria. Demonstrators stormed the municipality building in the city of Sweida before dragging the statue of Assad’s father and predecessor, Hafez Assad, into the street, according to an opposition group that monitors Syria’s war. A poster of Bashar was also torn down. The protests in Sweida began over surging inflation but demonstrators quickly began calling for Assad to step down.

Bahrain-Israel

Israel’s foreign minister today arrived in Bahrain for his first visit to one of two Gulf Arab countries that normalized ties with Israel under the US-brokered Abraham Accords in 2020. Eli Cohen’s high-profile trip coincides with speculation that Israel and Saudi Arabia may also be close to formalizing ties. Bahrain and the UAE were the first two nations to sign up to the Abraham Accords with Sudan and Morocco following later. Palestinians widely viewed the agreements as a stab in the back.