Thousands of Niger coup supporters rally for military event

THOUSANDS of supporters of Niger's coup leaders flocked to a stadium in the capital Niamey on Sunday (August 6), appearing undaunted by the threat of military intervention from West Africa's regional bloc as its ultimatum to reinstate the president expires.

On Niamey's streets there were also sporadic displays of support for but no signs of opposition to the junta, which has said it will not cave in to external pressure to stand down following the July 26 power grab.

Rippling cheers greeted every sentence of a speech read by a representative of the new army-led administration to the packed crowd at the stadium, who stressed the junta's determination to stay in power.

The seventh coup in West and Central Africa in three years has rocked the Sahel region, one of the poorest in the world. Given its uranium and oil riches and its pivotal role in a war with Islamist militants, Niger holds importance for the U.S., Europe, China and Russia.

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