“We count on the rapid release of President Bazoum by the military,” Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement calling on “all parties to the conflict to refrain from the use of force and resolve all disputes through peaceful and constructive dialogue.”
The US and UN have swiftly backed Niger’s president Mohamed Bazoum after he was reportedly taken hostage by members of his own guard in an apparent attempt to topple one of the few pro-Western governments left in the Sahel.
Around the presidential palace in Niamey, rebellious soldiers barricaded roadways and ministries and captured Mr. Bazoum. Shots were heard in the city, and Benin President Patrick Talon was said to be travelling to Niger on Wednesday night in an effort to mediate.
Unhappy Presidential Guard personnel reportedly blocked entry to the president’s apartment and offices in the nation’s capital and “refused to release the president,” according to a presidential source.
Colonel-Major Amadou Abdramane, a spokesperson for the coup, declared on television in front of nine other soldiers in uniform: “We, the defence and security forces… have decided to put an end to the regime” of President Bazoum.
They declared that “all institutions” would be halted, that the borders would be shut, and that a curfew would be in effect “until further notice.”
His immediate release was demanded by the United States, France, and a group of nearby nations, who also urged the mutinous guards to reconsider their behaviour.
