On national television, soldiers in Niger, West Africa, announced a coup.
They claimed to have dissolved the constitution, suspended all institutions, and shut down the country’s borders.
Niger President Mohamed Bazoum has been detained by presidential guard forces since early Wednesday.
In a phone chat, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pledged him “unwavering support” from Washington.
UN Secretary General António Guterres also stated that he spoke with the president and offered the uranium-rich country the UN’s complete support.
Mr. Bazoum is a major Western ally in West Africa’s struggle against Islamist insurgency.
In recent years, two bordering nations, Mali and Burkina Faso, have undergone coups precipitated by Islamist uprisings.
Both countries’ new military commanders have clashed with France, the former colonial power that previously dominated Niger, a huge, arid country on the outskirts of the Sahara desert and one of the world’s poorest states.
Mr. Bazoum’s whereabouts are unknown, but in a tweet on Thursday morning, he stated that “hard-won gains will be safeguarded” and that Nigeriens who love democracy will see to it.
Foreign Minister Hassoumi Massoudou declared himself president and urged all Democrats to “make this adventure fail.”
“We, the defence and security forces… have decided to put an end to the regime you know,” Col Maj Amadou Abdramane announced on TV on Wednesday, flanked by nine other uniformed troops.
“This follows the continuing deterioration of the security situation, as well as poor economic and social governance.”
He also stated that all institutions in the country had been halted and that the heads of the ministries would handle day-to-day operations.
“All external partners are asked not to interfere,” he added. “Until the situation has stabilised, land and air borders are closed.”
He also stated that a night curfew would be in effect from 22:00 to 05:00 local time until further notice.
According to Col Maj Abdramane, the soldiers were working on behalf of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP).
This coup is bad news for French and Western efforts to restore stability to the Sahel region of West Africa. When adjacent Mali elected to work with Russia’s Wagner Group rather than the French, Paris relocated its regional headquarters to Niger.
This coup, even if it is short-lived, has demonstrated that even Niger cannot be relied on to be a permanent safe haven. Western influence in the region is dwindling like a dry lake in the summer.
Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic (CAR), and Mali have all determined that working with Russia’s vicious Wagner mercenaries is preferable to working with any Western force. Wagner’s principal interests in Africa appear to be enriching themselves and strengthening the Kremlin’s power rather than pursuing Western aims of fostering greater government.
This is fantastic news for the region’s two biggest insurgent groups, the so-called Islamic State and al-Qaeda. They thrive on insecurity, weak governance, and local government anger. As a result, a coup in Niger is likely to exacerbate efforts to restrain them.
Following the soldiers’ TV broadcast, Mr Blinken demanded President Bazoum’s release.
He told a press conference in New Zealand that “what it clearly amounts to is an attempt to seize power by force and disrupt the constitution.”
Heavily armed Russian Wagner mercenaries are assisting the military administration in Mali in its struggle against jihadist terrorists. The upheaval in Niger adds to Western concerns about Wagner activities and the volatility of the Sahel area.
President Vladimir Putin is gathering African leaders in St Petersburg on Thursday in order to boost Russian influence in Africa.
Ecowas, the West African economic union, has stated that it “condemns in the strongest terms the attempt to seize power by force” in Niger.
Benin’s President Patrice Talon has arrived in Niamey on a mediation trip on behalf of Ecowas.
Mr Talon stated that “all means” will be utilised to restore constitutional order in Niger, “but the ideal would be to do everything in peace and harmony.”
Earlier on Wednesday, hundreds marched through Niamey in favour of Mr Bazoum. According to a BBC reporter, highly armed soldiers loyal to the president were also stationed surrounding the national broadcaster.
The city was mainly calm, while soldiers supporting the coup fired rounds to disperse the protestors.
Niger is dealing with two Islamist insurgencies: one in the south-west, which swept in from Mali in 2015, and one in the south-east, which involves jihadists based in northern Nigeria.
President Bazoum, who was democratically elected in 2021, has close ties with France and other Western countries.
Since its independence from France in 1960, Niger has had four coups and countless attempted coups.
The map of Niger