Several thousand people demonstrated in the capital of Niger on Sunday in support of last month’s military coup, whose leader has warned against outside intervention and proposed a three-year transition of power. The demonstrators chanted slogans hostile to former colonial power France and West African regional bloc ECOWAS, which is considering a potential military operation to reinstate elected president Mohamed Bazoum if ongoing negotiations with coup leaders fail. The Sahel state’s new military leaders have officially banned demonstrations but in practice, those in support of the coup are allowed to go ahead. The demonstrators waved placards saying “Stop the military intervention” and “No to sanctions”, in reference to the financial and trade restrictions imposed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) four days after the coup on July 26. Sunday’s pro-coup rally was accompanied by musicians praising the new military regime, AFP journalists reported.