Nigerian military declares President Bazoum removed
Late on Wednesday, Nigerian soldiers appeared on national television and announced that they had removed the country’s President Mohamed Bazoum from office. They also declared that the country’s borders were closed and imposed a curfew ”until further notice.”
Colonel Amadou Abdramane, surrounded by nine other soldiers, stated in their TV address that they had ”decided to end President Bazoum’s rule.” The soldiers also stated that the country’s borders and institutions were closed and a curfew was imposed ”until further notice.”
The announcement from the military prompted US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to immediately demand the release of Mohamed Bazoum after the soldiers surrounded the presidential palace and claimed to have taken over power. Blinken, currently on a visit to New Zealand, stated that he had spoken with President Bazoum earlier in the day and made it clear that the US strongly supports him as the democratically elected president of Niger.
The coup began earlier on Wednesday when President Mohamed Bazoum was detained by members of the presidential guard, according to sources close to Bazoum. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the presidential office stated earlier in the day that members of the presidential guard had unsuccessfully sought support from the national armed forces. The office further stated that the army was prepared to attack the part of the presidential guard involved.
Mediators on their way
On Wednesday evening, UN Secretary-General António Guterres spoke with Bazoum, according to Guterres’ spokesperson. ”This afternoon, António Guterres spoke with Mohamed Bazoum. He expresses his full support and solidarity with the Nigerien President,” the spokesperson wrote on X.
The office of the president in Niger previously stated that the president and his family are well.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) announced that Benin’s President Patrice Talon is on his way to Niger to mediate.
Bazoum was elected in 2021. At that time, he took over the leadership of one of Africa’s poorest and most coup-prone countries.
FACTS
Niger
The West African country, which consists of two-thirds desert, is one of the world’s poorest countries.
Half of the country’s 26.2 million inhabitants live in poverty, partly due to the world’s highest birth rate of 6.8 children per woman (2021).
Niger has suffered from chronic political instability since gaining independence from France in 1960.
Since achieving independence, the country has experienced four coups, most recently in February 2010 when former President Mamadou Tandja was overthrown.
The country’s first-ever democratic power transition took place in 2021 when Mohamed Bazoum was elected president after his predecessor resigned voluntarily.
Like neighboring countries Mali and Burkina Faso, Niger is grappling with a jihadist insurgency that originated in Mali in 2012 and spread across borders.
