Niger: Thousands of junta supporters gathered in a stadium in Niamey

Crowd ECOWAS ultimatum for military intervention expires this Sunday

Crowds gathered in the largest stadium in Nier to listen to the leaders of the military junta — AFP < p>The fateful moment has arrived. While the ultimatum set by the Community of West African States for a possible armed intervention in Niger is coming to a close. its end, nearly 30,000 supporters of the military coup gathered in a stadium in Niamey on Sunday. A delegation of members of the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Fatherland (CNSP, which took power) arrived at the stadium to the cheers of its supporters, many of whom were displaying Russian flags and portraits of CNSP leaders.

This stadium, the largest in Niger and which bears the name of Seini Kountché, author of the first coup in Niger in 1974, was almost full and the atmosphere was festive, a- we noticed. General Mohamed Toumba, one of the leaders of the CNSP, spoke in front of the crowd to denounce those “who lurk in the shadows” and who “are planning subversion” against “Niger's march forward” “We are aware of their Machiavellian plan,” he said.

Senegal and Ivory Coast ready to ; intervene

This show of force occurs on the day of the expiration of the fixed ultimatum. on July 30 by ECOWAS to the soldiers who took power to restore the overthrown president to his duties; Mohamed Bazoum, under penalty of using force to do so. The ultimatum is coming. Deadline Sunday evening and for the time being, the generals who took power on July 26 at Niamey have only shown no will to give way.

Force outlines for possible military intervention have been identified. “defined” Friday by the chiefs of staff of ECOWAS and certain armies such as Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire said they were ready to participate. The coup was condemned by all of Niger’s Western and African partners, but the Niger military has received support from their counterparts in Mali and Burkina Faso, which also came to power through putsches in 2020 and  2022, who assert that an intervention in Niger would be a “declaration of war” to their two countries.