The demonstrators on Sunday chanted slogans hostile to former colonial power France and the West African regional bloc Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which is considering a potential military operation to reinstate elected President Mohamed Bazoum if ongoing negotiations with coup leaders fail.
The demonstrators waved placards saying “Stop the military intervention” and “No to sanctions” in reference to financial and trade restrictions imposed by ECOWAS four days after the putsch on July 26, Aljazeera reported.
The latest in a string of pro-coup rallies came a day after the new military ruler in Niamey warned an attack on Niger would not be a “walk in the park”.
General Abdourahmane Tchiani also said in a televised address on Saturday that he did not wish to “confiscate” power and that a transition of power back to civilian rule would not go beyond three years.
Niger became the third Sahel country in less than three years, following neighbors Mali and Burkina Faso, to be shaken by a military coup.
In a joint statement, the governments of Burkina Faso and Mali warned that "disastrous consequences of a military intervention in Niger ... could destabilize the entire region". "Any military intervention against Niger would be considered as a declaration of war against Burkina Faso and Mali," the statement reads.
MP/PR
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