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Niger soldiers claimed to have overthrown the government of President Mohamed Bazoum in a statement read out on national television on Wednesday, a day after the leader was detained in his official residence.
Colonel-Major Amadou Abdramane, surrounded by nine other uniformed soldiers, said in the address that the defense and security forces have decided to put an end to the government of Bazoum.
They said "all institutions" in the country would be suspended, borders closed and a curfew imposed from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. "until further notice."
Disgruntled members of the elite Presidential Guard sealed off access to Bazoum's residence and offices in the capital Niamey, and after talks broke down "refused to release" him, a presidential source said.
Bazoum was elected in April 2021, taking the helm of a country burdened by poverty, chronic instability and plagued in recent years by jihadist insurgency.
The landlocked Sahel state has experienced four coups since independence from France in 1960, and numerous other attempts.
The nation of 22 million is two-thirds desert and frequently ranks at the bottom of the UN's Human Development Index, a benchmark of prosperity.
Niger is struggling with two jihadist campaigns – one in the southwest, which swept in from Mali in 2015, and the other in the southeast, involving jihadists from northeastern Nigeria.
The parties of Niger's ruling coalition in Niamey denounced "a suicidal and anti-republican madness" in a statement, saying that "certain elements of the presidential guard sequestered the president" and his family as well as the interior minister.
Condemnation also poured in from beyond the nation's borders.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union both decried what they called an "attempted coup d'etat."
ECOWAS called for Bazoum's immediate and unconditional release, and warned all those involved would be held responsible for his safety.
The European Union said it "associates itself" with the ECOWAS statement and attacked "any attempt to destabilize democracy and threaten the stability" of Niger.
Both UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said they had spoken to Bazoum to offer their support.
France and neighboring Algeria also issued condemnations, as did the World Bank which said it "strongly condemns any attempt to seize power by force" or "destabilize" Niger.
Benin President Patrice Talon was expected to arrive in Niamey Thursday to mediate with both the Presidential Guard and Bazoum, with a view to finding an agreement.
(CGTN)
