…As Niger’s Army Command Declares Support for Military Coup
United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken on Thursday called for the immediate release of Niger President, Mohamed Bazoum in the aftermath of his sack by soldiers in the country.
Bazoum has been removed from power, according to a group of soldiers who appeared on the West African nation’s national television late on Wednesday, hours after the president was held in the presidential palace.
Blinken told a news conference in the New Zealand capital Wellington that“whether this constitutes a coup technically or not, I can’t say, that’s for the lawyers to say.
“However, what it clearly constitutes is an effort to seize power by force and to disrupt the constitution.’’
Blinken, therefore, called for Bazoum’s immediate release.
The CRUX earlier reported that sack, through an announcement of disgruntled members of the presidential guards on Wednesday.
Hours after he was held in the presidential palace, a group of soldiers announced the sack of President Bazoum of Niger late on Wednesday.
Colonel Amadou Abdramane, seated and flanked by nine other officers, pronounced Bazoum’s removal in a statement.
Citing what he termed deteriorating security situation and bad governance, Colonel Abdramane said defence and security forces decided to put an end to the regime.
Abdramane said Niger’s borders are closed, a nationwide curfew declared, and all institutions of the republic are suspended.
The soldiers warned against any foreign intervention while pledging that they will respect Bazoum’s wellbeing.
The military takeover, which marks the seventh coup in the West and Central Africa region since 2020, could further complicate Western efforts to help countries in the Sahel region fight a jihadist insurgency that has spread from Mali over the past decade.
Land-locked Niger, a former French colony, has become a pivotal ally for Western powers seeking to help fight the insurgencies, but they are facing growing acrimony from the new juntas in charge in Mali and Burkina Faso.
Niger is also a key ally of the European Union in the fight against irregular migration from sub-Saharan Africa.
France moved troops to Niger from Mali last year after its relations with interim authorities there soured. It has also withdrawn special forces from Burkina Faso amid similar tensions.
The members of the elite Presidential Guard, who in turn were given an “ultimatum” by the army, had earlier held President Bazoum on Wednesday.
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Although the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) chaired by President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria had condemned what it called an “attempted coup” and called on the “plotters” to release Bazoum immediately and without condition.
A close ally of France, Bazoum was elected in 2021, taking the helm of a country mired in poverty and burdened by a history of chronic instability.
Members of the guard on Wednesday morning sealed off access to the president’s residence and offices, and after talks broke down “refused to release the president,” the presidential source said.
Meanwhile, Niger’s army command on Thursday, declared support for the coup, saying its priority was to avoid destabilising the country.
In a statement signed by the army chief of staff, it said to “preserve the physical integrity” of the president and his family and avoid “a deadly confrontation that could create a bloodbath and affect the security of the population.’’
President Bazoum and Foreign Minister, Hassoumi Massoudou earlier urged democratic forces in the country to resist the power grab, as Western officials said the status of the coup attempt was unclear.
