The Niger Army overthrows the country's president for "mismanagement" and closes the borders

A group of soldiers appeared on Niger's national television this Wednesday night to announce the removal from power of the Nigerien president, Mohamed Bazoum, and the closure of the country's borders, hours after the Presidential Guard detained the president. .

In three statements read on Nigerien television, the representatives of the coup leaders, organized in a platform calling itself the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Fatherland (CLSP), reaffirmed their “respect for all the commitments signed by Niger.”

The military indicates in the communiqués that “all the institutions of the Seventh Republic are suspended” and that “the defense and security forces are handling the situation.”

The head of the coup group has reaffirmed to the national and international community respect for the physical integrity of the deposed authorities, as stated in the televised statement.

“All foreign partners are asked not to interfere,” they add to decree the closure of land and air borders “until the situation stabilizes.”

In the communiqués, read by Major Colonel Amadou Abramane on behalf of the “president of the CLSP”, a curfew is decreed from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. “throughout the territory until further notice.”

The coup leaders also commit to the national and international community to respect the “physical and moral integrity of the overthrown authorities in accordance with the principles of human rights.”

With these words, Colonel Abramane put an end to a great confusion that reigned during the day this Wednesday in Niger about the whereabouts of President Bazoum and his political system.

The Niger Presidency indicated during the afternoon that spontaneous demonstrations in defense of democracy had taken place in the country's capital, Naimey, and in front of Niger's diplomatic headquarters abroad.

The seizure of the presidential palace

The attempt began with the closure of the accesses to the Presidential Palace with the president inside and the subsequent announcement by the Presidency of Niger on its Twitter account that elements of the Presidential Guard were carrying out an “anti-republican” action.

On March 31, 2021, the Nigerian authorities aborted an attempted military coup against Bazoum two days before his inauguration, which was limited to a series of shootings near the Presidential Palace in the country's capital.

The parties that make up the Government of Niger asked the coup leaders who took over the Presidential Palace on Wednesday to lay down their arms and the Nigerien people to mobilize massively to defend democracy.

The UN Secretary General, António Guterres, spoke this Wednesday with the ousted president and conveyed his support and solidarity in the face of the violation of constitutional legitimacy in his country, which was condemned by several countries and regional blocs.

The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, spoke on Wednesday by phone with the president of Niger, to convey his support after the attempted coup in the African country.

Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world, suffering from jihadist violence and also the effects of climate change and the food crisis that affects millions of people.