00:00 Several thousand people demonstrated in the capital of Niger on Sunday in support of last
00:08 month's military coup, whose leader has warned against outside intervention while proposing
00:13 a three-year transition of power.
00:15 The demonstrators chanted slogans hostile to former colonial power France and the West
00:20 African regional bloc Ecovast, which is considering a potential military operation to reinstate
00:26 President Mohamed Bazoom if negotiations with coup leaders fail.
00:30 The SILES states new military leaders have officially banned demonstrations, but in practice,
00:35 those in support of the coup are allowed to go ahead.
00:38 The demonstrators waved placards saying "Stop the military intervention" and "No to sanctions"
00:43 in reference to financial and trade restrictions imposed by Ecovast four days after the push
00:48 on July 26.
00:50 Sunday's pro-coup rally was accompanied by musicians praising the new military regime.
00:55 The latest in a string of pro-coup rallies came a day after the new ruler in the army,
01:00 General Abdur Rahman al-Chiyani, warned that a foreign military incursion into Niger would
01:04 not be a walk in the park.
01:07 In a televised address late Saturday, Chiyani also said he did not want to confiscate power
01:11 and promised to return to civilian rule within three hours.
01:14 Niger's new leaders have accused France, a close Bazoom ally, of being behind the anti-coup
01:19 stance taken by Ecovast, which on Saturday made a fresh push for a diplomatic solution
01:25 by sending to Niame a delegation led by former Nigerian leader Abdul Salami Abu Bakar.
01:30 Unlike a previous mission in early August, this time the delegation held talks with Chiyani
01:35 and also met Bazoom, who is being held with his family at the presidential palace and
01:39 could be facing treason charges.
01:41 Meanwhile, Pope Francis on Sunday urged a diplomatic solution to a political crisis
01:45 in Niger sparked by a coup that threatens stability in the region.
01:48 "I am following with concern what is happening in Niger and join the bishop's call in favour
01:53 of peace in the country and stability in the Sahel," said Pope Francis, addressing the
01:57 faithful in St. Peter's Square after his Angelus prayer.
02:00 "I join with prayer the efforts of the international community to find a peaceful solution as soon
02:05 as possible for the good of everyone," said the 86-year-old.
02:09 Earlier this week, 17 Jata soldiers were killed in an ambush by insurgents near the Burkina
02:13 Faso border, the deadliest attack since military officers seized power in a coup at the end
02:18 of July.
02:19 The ambush took place on Tuesday about 60 km from the capital Nyami, in a south-western
02:23 area that borders Burkina Faso, the defence ministry said.
02:27 An army detachment was the victim of a terrorist ambush near the town of Kotogao in the Tilaberi
02:32 region, according to a statement.
02:33 It added that another 20 soldiers had been wounded, six seriously.
02:37 Meanwhile, more than 100 asylants travelling on motorbikes were neutralised during the
02:40 retreat, the army said.
02:42 The Sahel region had been battling jihadist insurgents for more than a decade, with violence
02:46 breaking out in northern Mali in 2012 before spreading to neighbouring Niger and Burkina
02:50 Faso in 2015.
03:02 [MUSIC PLAYING]
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