Niger President, Mohamed Bazoum Detained By Presidential Guards

Presidential guards in Niger on Wednesday detained President Mohamed Bazoum and blockaded his residence, as well as key ministries.

The West African bloc ECOWAS condemned what it called an “attempted coup” and called on the “plotters” to release Bazoum unconditionally and immediately.

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.

“The army has given them an ultimatum,” said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

In a message on Twitter, which is being rebranded as X, the president’s office said “elements of the Presidential Guard (PG) had a fit of temper… (and) tried unsuccessfully to gain the support of the national armed forces and the national guard.”

“The army and national guard are ready to attack the elements of the PG who are involved in this fit of temper if they do not return to a better disposition,” the presidency said.

“The president and his family are well,” it added.

The reason for the guards’ anger was not revealed.

Access was blocked off to the presidential complex in Niamey, although there was no abnormal military deployment or sounds of gunfire in the area, and traffic was normal, an AFP journalist saw.