NIAMEY, Niger (AP) 鈥� Mutinous soldiers claimed to have overthrown Niger's democratically elected president, announcing on state television late Wednesday that they have put an end to the government over the African country's deteriorating security.
The soldiers said all institutions had been suspended and security forces were managing the situation. They urged external partners not to interfere.
The announcement came after a day of uncertainty as members of Niger鈥檚 presidential guard surrounded the presidential palace and detained President Mohamed Bazoum. It was unclear where the president was at the time of the announcement or if he had resigned.
鈥淭his is as a result of the continuing degradation of the security situation, the bad economic and social governance," air force Col. Major Amadou Abdramane said on the video. Seated at a table in front of nine other officers, he said aerial and land borders were closed and a curfew was imposed until the situation stabilized.
The group, which is calling itself National Council for the Safeguarding of the Country, said it remained committed to its engagements with the international and national community.
Earlier Wednesday, a tweet from the account of Niger鈥檚 presidency reported that members of the elite guard unit engaged in an 鈥渁nti-Republican demonstration鈥� and unsuccessfully tried to obtain support from other security forces. It said Bazoum and his family were doing well but that Niger鈥檚 army and national guard 鈥渁re ready to attack鈥� if those involved in the action did not back down.
The commissions of the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States described the events as an effort to unseat Bazoum, who was elected president two years ago in the nation鈥檚 first peaceful, democratic transfer of power since its independence from France in 1960.
Threats to Bazoum鈥檚 leadership would undermine the West鈥檚 efforts to stabilize Africa鈥檚 Sahel region, which has been overrun with coups in recent years. Mali and Burkina Faso have had four coups since 2020, and both are being overrun by extremists linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. U.S.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken , seeking to strengthen ties with a country where extremists have on civilians and but the overall security situation was not as dire as in neighboring nations.
During a stop in New Zealand on Thursday, Blinken repeated the U.S. condemnation of the mutiny against Niger's president and said his team was in close contact with officials in France and Africa.
Blinken added that he had spoken with Bazoum on Wednesday, saying that he "made clear that we strongly support him as the democratically elected president of the country.鈥�
Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel program at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, said the mutiny was a 鈥渘ightmare scenario for Western powers who had betted on Bazoum and Niger as new security anchor for the Sahel.鈥�
鈥淚t remains to be seen whether this is the last word. Parts of the army are probably still loyal to Bazoum. They benefited much from equipment and training as part of foreign military assistance,鈥� Laessing said.
Before the announcement, hundreds of people took to the streets of the capital, Niamey, and chanted 鈥淣o coup d鈥檈tat鈥� while marching in support of the president. Multiple rounds of gunfire that appeared to come from the presidential palace dispersed the demonstrators and sent people scrambling for cover, according to an Associated Press reporter at the scene.
鈥淲e are here to show the people that we are not happy about this movement going on, just to show these military people that they can鈥檛 just take the power like this,鈥� protester Mohammed Sidi said. 鈥淲e are a democratic country, we support democracy and we don鈥檛 need this kind of movement.鈥�
The international community strongly condemned the attempted seizure of power.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke to Bazoum on Wednesday afternoon and 鈥渆xpressed his full support and solidarity,鈥� the U.N. spokesperson tweeted.
Earlier, Guterres condemned any effort to seize power by force 鈥漣n the strongest terms" and called on "all actors involved to exercise restraint and to ensure the protection of constitutional order,鈥� spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
The governments of France and the United States also voiced concern and urged the participating guardsmen to change course. Bazoum's administration has made Niger a key Western partner in the in Africa's Sahel region.
鈥淲e strongly condemn any effort to detain or subvert the functioning of Niger鈥檚 democratically elected government, led by President Bazoum,鈥� White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said. 鈥淲e specifically urge elements of the presidential guard to release President Bazoum from detention and refrain from violence.鈥�
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who was selected this month as the ECOWAS Commission's chairman, said the regional bloc鈥檚 leadership would resist any attempt to unseat Niger's government.
鈥淚t should be quite clear to all players in the Republic of Niger that the leadership of the ECOWAS region and all lovers of democracy around the world will not tolerate any situation that incapacitates the democratically elected government of the country,鈥� Tinubu said in a statement he issued in Abuja. 鈥淲e will do everything within our powers to ensure democracy is firmly planted, nurtured, well rooted and thrives in our region.鈥�
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Associated Press writers Chinedu Asadu in Abuja, Nigeria, and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.
Sam Mednick, The Associated Press
