Niamey, Oct 29 (AFP) Angry protesters and police clashedin Niger's capital Niamey today as a demonstration againstfinancial reforms in the West African nation turned violent.
Local civil society organisations have for weeks beendenouncing the 2018 budget for one of the poorest countries onthe planet.
More than 1,000 demonstrators rallied near the citycentre to protest against the government's financial plan thatthey branded "anti-social" and said created new taxes.
The protest began quietly but quickly degenerated when agroup of people defied a ban and headed to a square oppositethe country's parliament.
Police used tear gas to stop the group from reachingparliament, an AFP correspondent said.
The protesters responded by throwing stones and bricks,building barricades and lighting tyres on fire.
"The new budget is going to squeeze the poor," saidNouhou Arzika, a prominent activist and one of the protestleaders.
Instead of creating new taxes, Arzika suggested that theauthorities "start by reducing their prestigious lifestyle" ortheir "many official trips" to reduce the size of thegovernment.
Finance Minister Hassoumi Massoudou told parliament onWednesday that the new measures "do not affect the poor" butthe "richest" and that the tax burden will be between 13percent and 16 percent, its level in 2015.
More than 80 percent of Niger is covered by the Saharadesert. Its economy has been affected by falls in both oilprices, which it officially began exporting in 2011, anduranium, of which it is a major exporter.
The country also has to spend resources to combat attacksby Boko Haram, whose Islamist insurgency has spilled over fromNigeria, as well as from jihadists, including the IslamicState group, near the border with Mali. (AFP)UZM.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.