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Thousands of individuals rallied in Niger’s capital on Sunday to show their backing for the recent military coup that took place last month. The leader of the coup has cautioned against external interference and put forth a plan for a three-year power transition.
The protesters passionately chanted slogans expressing their grievances towards France, their former colonial power, and the West African regional bloc ECOWAS. This bloc is currently deliberating the option of a military intervention to restore the elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, should ongoing negotiations with the coup leaders reach an impasse.
While the newly installed military authorities in the Sahel state have formally prohibited public demonstrations, it’s evident that those endorsing the coup are being permitted to proceed without hindrance.
The protesters energetically brandished placards bearing messages such as “Halt the military intervention” and “Reject sanctions.” These slogans alluded to the economic and trade limitations enforced by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), just four days after the coup on July 26th.
Sunday’s pro-coup rally was accompanied by musicians praising the new military regime, AFP journalists reported.
The latest in a string of pro-coup rallies came a day after the new military ruler in Niamey warned that an attack on Niger would not be a “walk in the park”.
General Abdourahamane Tiani also said in a televised address on Saturday that he did not wish to “confiscate” power and a transition of power back to civilian rule would not go beyond three years.
Niger’s new leaders have accused France, a close Bazoum ally, of being behind the anti-coup stance taken by ECOWAS, which on Saturday made a fresh push for a diplomatic solution.
After ECOWAS chiefs of staff met in the Ghanaian capital Accra on Friday, the 17-nation bloc said it had agreed on a date for a potential intervention.
Despite this, a diplomatic delegation was dispatched to Niamey on Saturday, headed by former Nigerian leader Abdulsalami Abubakar.
Television coverage from Niger displayed members of the delegation exchanging handshakes with Bazoum, who is still being held in custody.
The broadcast also included a clip of Abubakar engaging in conversation with Tiani, yet the specifics of their discourse have not been disclosed publicly.
In his televised statement on Saturday, Tiani made allegations suggesting that ECOWAS was in the process of assembling a occupying military force, in collaboration with a foreign nation, with intentions that were unspecified at the time.
However, he further remarked, “Should any aggressive action be contemplated against us, it would not unfold as effortlessly as some may assume.”
Tiani also introduced a 30-day period designated for a “national dialogue,” aimed at formulating tangible propositions to establish the groundwork for “a renewed constitutional framework.”
Leaders of ECOWAS assert that immediate action is imperative, given that Niger has become the fourth West African nation to experience a coup since 2020, following similar incidents in Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Mali.
The collective has reached a consensus to activate a “readiness force” as a final recourse, intended to reinstate democratic governance in Niger.
The Sahel region grapples with mounting jihadist insurgencies associated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.
Architects of these military takeovers have cited exasperation with the prevailing violence as justification for seizing control.
