As deadline arrives for Niger's junta to reinstate the president, citizens cheer and fear what's next

The deadline arrived Sunday for Niger's military junta to reinstate the country's ousted president, but the West Africa regional bloc that has threatened a military intervention faces prominent appeals to pursue more peaceful means.

The deadline arrived Sunday for Niger's military junta to reinstate the country's ousted president, but the West Africa regional bloc that has threatened a military intervention faces prominent appeals to pursue more peaceful means. In the capital, coup leaders appeared at a stadium rally where a chicken decorated in the colors of former colonizer France was beheaded, to cheers.

Neighbouring Nigeria's Senate has pushed back against the plan by the regional bloc known as ECOWAS, urging Nigeria's president, the bloc's current chair, on Saturday to explore options other than the use of force. ECOWAS can still move ahead, as final decisions are made by consensus by member states, but the warning on the eve of the deadline raised questions about the intervention's fate.

The July 26 coup, in which mutinous soldiers installed Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani as head of state, adds another layer of complexity to West Africa's Sahel region that's struggling with military takeovers, spreading Islamic extremism and a shift by some states toward Russia and its proxy, the Wagner mercenary group.

Niger's ousted President Mohamed Bazoum said he is held "hostage" by the mutinous soldiers. An ECOWAS delegation was unable to meet with Tchiani, who analysts have asserted led the coup to avoid being fired. Now the junta has reached out to Wagner for assistance while severing security ties with former colonizer France.

Algeria and Chad, non-ECOWAS neighbours with strong militaries in the region, have said they oppose the use of force or won't intervene militarily, and neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso -- both run by juntas -- have said an intervention would be a "declaration of war" against them, too.

It was not immediately clear on Sunday what ECOWAS will do next. Thousands of people at Sunday's rally in Niger's capital, Niamey, cheered the coup leaders' appearance and expressed defiance against both the ECOWAS threat and France's long presence in the region. Some waved Russian flags.

Hours before Sunday's deadline, hundreds of youth joined security forces in the darkened streets in the capital to stand guard at a dozen roundabouts until morning, checking cars for weapons and heeding the junta's call to watch out for foreign intervention and spies.