The leaders of a coup in Niger gathered thousands of supporters in Niamey on Sunday, as they reached a deadline to reinstate the elected president or risk military intervention by a regional force.
Nearly 30,000 people attended a rally in the capital on Sunday in support of the junta, according to French news agency AFP.
General Mohamed Toumba, one of the leaders of the military council that seized power ten days ago, told the crowd that shadowy forces were "plotting subversion" against "Niger's march forward".
"We are aware of their Machiavellian plan," he said.
Ecowas gave the military officers leading the coup in Niger one week to release President Mohamed Bazoum from his residence, where members of the presidential guard have been holding him since 26 July.
That deadline expired on Sunday.
The West African bloc has not yet announced what its next move will be, but some countries have urged it to hold off on using force in favour of peaceful means.
Reservations in the region
In Nigeria, the country currently chairing Ecowas, the senate urged the president to explore other options.
Member states were consulting their legislators over the weekend on the bloc’s contingency plan to intervene. The final decision will be taken by consensus among all of the group’s members.
Algeria and Chad, which are not part of Ecowas but share borders with Niger, have both stated they will not participate in any military operation.
"We categorically refuse any military intervention," Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said in a television interview on Saturday evening, adding that such action would be "a direct threat to Algeria".
Meanwhile Mali and Burkina Faso, which are both run by juntas installed by recent coups, have said that an intervention would be a "declaration of war" against them too.
Junta remains defiant
The junta, which declared General Abdourahmane Tchiani the new head of state, has vowed not to bow to outside pressure.
The night before the deadline, hundreds of people joined security forces standing guard in the streets of the city, checking cars for weapons and potential spies after the junta urged the public to watch out for signs of foreign intervention.
Around 100 people set up a picket line near an air base in Niamey and pledged to offer non-violent resistance in support of the new military administration if needed.
Meanwhile Italy, one of several Western countries with forces stationed in Niger, said on Sunday it had reduced its troop numbers to make room in its military base for civilians who may need protection.
High prices, power cuts
The uncertainty risks worsening daily life in one of the world's poorest countries, home to around 25 million people.
Food prices are soaring after Ecowas imposed economic and travel sanctions over the coup.
Nigeria, which supplies up to 90 percent of the electricity in Niger, has cut off some of the supply.
Humanitarian groups in Niger have warned of "devastating effects" on the lives of over 4.4 million people in need of aid.
(with newswires)
