The president of Niger; President Mohamed Bazoum, has been besieged by members of the presidential guard in what African organizations have dubbed a coup attempt against the nation’s democratically elected leader.
According to reports, President Mohamed Bazoum has been detained by the revolting army.
A tweet from the account of the presidency of Niger revealed that members of the special guard unit participated in an “anti-Republican demonstration” and made unsuccessful attempts to recruit assistance from other security forces.
It made no mention of a coup and stated that Mr. Bazoum and his family were doing fine, but it also warned that the Niger Army and national guard “are ready to attack” if the perpetrators of the action did not desist.
The actions of the presidential guardsman, according to the African Union and Economic Community of West African States commissions, were an attempt to depose Mr. Bazoum, who was elected president of Niger two years ago in the country’s first peaceful, democratic transfer of power since its independence from France in 1960.
The Ecowas Commission, which oversees the initiatives of the 15-nation regional power bloc, declared that it “condemns in the strongest terms the attempt to seize power by force and calls on the coup plotters to immediately and unconditionally release the democratically elected president of the republic.”
The government of Mr. Bazoum has elevated Niger to the status of a crucial Western ally in the struggle against the Islamist radicalism that has plagued the West of the nation.
Niger saw several coups in the decades before his election, and the president put an end to one only a day before taking the oath of office. Concerned, the governments of France and the US asked the participating guardsmen to alter their course.
“We strongly condemn any effort to detain or subvert the functioning of Niger’s democratically elected government, led by President Bazoum,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said. “We specifically urge elements of the presidential guard to release President Bazoum from detention and refrain from violence”.
On Wednesday, some government agencies and the streets surrounding the presidential palace in the nation’s capital, Niamey, were closed.
By early evening, a large crowd had gathered to show their support for the president. Although it wasn’t immediately obvious who fired the shots, shots were fired at the demonstration.
Outside the state radio and television networks’ corporate headquarters, there was a military buildup. Members of the army and national guard stood guard along the roads leading to both buildings and waved cars past.
The national guard sent about a dozen reinforcements to guard the radio network, according to the Associated Press. Lockdowns were imposed on several foreign security troops stationed there.
The presidential guard encircled Mr. Bazoum’s home on Wednesday morning while he and his wife were inside, according to a source who spoke to The Associated Press, and talks were taking place between the parties.
Threats against Mr. Bazoum’s authority would weaken Western attempts to stabilize the Sahel region of Africa.
To fortify relations with a nation where the security situation was not as terrible as in neighboring countries, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Niger in March.
Since 2020, Mali and Burkina Faso have both seen four coups, and both countries are now under the control of extremists with ties to the Islamic State and al-Qaida. Additionally, mercenaries from the Russian military firm Wagner have arrived in those nations.
