Niger soldiers said late Wednesday that President Mohamad Bazoum had been ousted from power and his government overthrown hours after he was reportedly taken captive in his palace by presidential guards.
In a broadcast aired on state television, Colonel-Major Amadou Abdramane, joined by nine other men in military fatigues, announced Bazoum’s removal, adding that a curfew had been instituted and the country’s borders closed until further notice.
Abdramane said that the conspirators behind the coup had decided to “put an end to the regime that you know due to the deteriorating security situation and bad governance,” according to Reuters.
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He explained that Bazoum would be looked after. The president did not immediately comment on the development and has not been seen since being taken captive.
Hours earlier, the Niger presidential office had said in a Twitter statement that Bazoum and his family were “doing well” despite reports that he was being held at the residence in the capital city of Niamey.
“Elements of the Presidential Guard had a fit of temper… and tried unsuccessfully to gain the support of the national armed forces and the national guard,” the office said, adding that the army had given the guards an “ultimatum” that they would “attack... if they do not return to a better disposition.”
The president and members of his family have so far remained unharmed in the incident, which has been blasted as an “attempted coup d’etat” by the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
As of Wednesday evening local time, the president remained trapped in residence, which had been sealed off by his alleged captors. The presidential guards’ motivation for detaining Bazoum remained unclear.
The incident prompted protests across Niger’s capital, with scores of demonstrators pouring out into the streets in support of the president. Some supporters reportedly attempted to approach the palace during the standoff until the guards surrounding the residence fired warning shots that sent them scattering.
In a statement through his spokesperson, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned “in the strongest terms any effort to seize power by force and to undermine democratic governance, peace and stability.”
Earlier efforts to negotiate with the presidential guards and secure the president’s release have reportedly failed. According to the head of ECOWAS, Benin President Patrice Talon will head to Niger in an effort to reach a resolution with the alleged captives.
In comments on Wednesday, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said that “the United States is deeply concerned about today’s developments in Niger,” urging “elements of the presidential guard to release President Bazoum from detention and refrain from violence.”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Bazoum on Wednesday as he was being held in the presidential palace. In New Zealand, he told a press conference that, “what it clearly constitutes is an effort to seize power by force and to disrupt the constitution.”
