Thousands March Against Boko Haram In Niger

Thousands of people marched in Niger's capital on Tuesday to protest
at Boko Haram Islamists who have launched deadly raids in the country
from their base in neighbouring Nigeria.

Prime Minister Brigi Rafini led the demonstrators who marched under a
heavy police presence, with snipers posted on roofs of buildings along
the protest route, including parliament.

"Boko Haram is itself haram (forbidden)," read one sign, referring to
the name of the jihadist group, which roughly translates as "Western
education is forbidden."

The Boko Haram fighters have "nothing Islamic, nothing Muslim about
them," Rafini told AFP at the head of the procession.

Muslims in Niger who were previously "troubled, waiting to see, are
now free to say no to Boko Haram," he added.

"All united against Boko Haram," read a banner at the march, called by
the ruling party with support from trade unions, religious bodies,
student associations and non-governmental organisations.

"Our army, our pride," read another of the many signs -- sometimes
daubed in the green, white and orange national colours -- after Niger's
troops recently joined a regional fight against the brutal sect.

If "someone asks me to take up a weapon, I'm ready for combat," said
18-year-old Jaafar Ousmane, an enthusiastic student union official,
who said that those he represented were "100 percent" behind the
security forces.

Boko Haram has waged an insurgency aiming to create a hardline Islamic
state in northeast Nigeria since 2009, a conflict that has claimed
some 13,000 lives.

In recent months it has extended its raids into neighbouring
countries, including Cameroon, Niger and Chad, as they formed a
military alliance with Nigeria to combat the jihadists.

Police said on Monday that they had arrested more than 160 people
suspected of having links to Boko Haram in Niger's Diffa region, a
border area with Nigeria that was attacked by the Islamists earlier
this month.

Boko Haram first struck in Niger three days before parliament on
February 9 authorised the army to enter Nigeria to take part in the
regional struggle. Some 3,000 troops are posted along the frontier.

Some at the Niamey march voiced fear of Boko Haram insurgents who
might have sneaked into the city. "All we hope for is that this ends
well, that there are no infiltrators," a wary local journalist said.

"Boko Haram scares me. We want peace," said Seydou Zamo, 45, a
photographer who added that he shared concern that the armed group,
known for suicide bombings, was in the capital.