US calls for immediate release of Niger President after apparent coup attempt

Washington DC [US]: Calling for the “immediate release” of President Mohamed Bazoum, the US condemned any effort to “seize power by force” in Niger as soldiers have surrounded the presidential palace and claimed to have taken power.

“The United States is gravely concerned about developments in Niger. We strongly support the democratically elected President and condemn in the strongest terms any effort to seize power by force and disrupt the constitutional order.

We call for the immediate release of President Mohamed Bazoum and respect for the rule of law and public safety,” Matthew Miller, State Department Spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday (local time). “We echo the strong condemnation of today’s action by the Economic Community of West African States. We are monitoring the situation closely and are in communication with the US Embassy in Niamey,” he added.

Earlier, security forces took the Niger President Mohamed Bazoum hostage in his presidential palace, the Niger’s presidency said in a statement on Wednesday. Some members of the presidential guard had started an “anti-republican” movement “in vain” and that the army and national guard were ready to attack those involved in the “mood swing” if the movement did not end, reported Al Jazeera.

It also said that President Bazoum and his family were well, after security sources said presidential guards were holding Bazoum inside the presidential palace in Niamey, the capital.

According to the presidency and security officials, ministries close to the palace have also been blocked off, making it impossible for palace employees to enter their workplaces. However, there was calm in other areas of Niamey.
The staff within the palace, according to a presidential official, did not have access to their offices.

Bazoum and his family were safe, the Niger presidency office said in a statement on Wednesday, though it was not immediately apparent if he was inside or what was going on.

Earlier, African Union Commission also “strongly” condemned what he called a coup attempt “by members of the military acting in total betrayal of their republican duty”.

West Africa’s 15-nation regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) called for Bazoum’s immediate and unconditional release and warned that all those involved would be held responsible for his safety.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres tweeted, “I condemn in the strongest terms any effort to seize power by force and to undermine democratic governance, peace & stability in Niger. The @UN stands by the Government and the people of Niger.”

The 2021 election that saw Bazoum elected president marked the first democratic transfer of power in a country that has experienced four military takeovers since gaining independence from France in 1960.

Since 2020, there have been four military coups in Burkina Faso and Mali, two nearby countries.