UN, US condemn apparent coup attempt in Niger

The UN secretary-general and the United States both condemned efforts to seize power by force in an apparent coup attempt in the Sahel state of Niger on Wednesday.

Niger's president, Mohamed Bazoum, was being held by members of his guard, according to sources.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned "in the strongest terms any effort to seize power by force and to undermine democratic governance, peace and stability," his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Guterres called "on all actors involved to exercise restraint and to ensure the protection of constitutional order," Dujarric added.

"The United States is deeply concerned about today's developments in Niger," National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in a statement from the White House.

"We strongly condemn any effort to detain or subvert the functioning of Niger's democratically elected government," Sullivan said, adding that "we specifically urge elements of the presidential guard to release President Bazoum from detention and refrain from violence."

African Union condemns 'attempted coup d'etat' in Niger

The African Union on Wednesday condemned "an attempted coup d'etat" in Niger after President Mohamed Bazoum was detained by members of the presidential guard, according to a source close to him.

"Informed of an attempt by certain members of the military to undermine the stability of democratic & republican institutions in #Niger, tantamount to an attempted coup d'état, the Chairperson of the AU Commission, H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, strongly condemns such actions," Faki posted on his official social media.

Members of the presidential guard on Wednesday morning sealed off access to the president's residence and offices, and after talks broke down "refused to release the president," a presidential source said.

In a message on Twitter, which is being rebranded as X, AU chief Faki accused the soldiers of "acting in total betrayal of their republican duty".

He urged them to "immediately cease these unacceptable actions" and return to their barracks.

The West African bloc ECOWAS also condemned the "attempted coup" and called on the "plotters" to release Bazoum immediately and without condition.

EU slams attempt to 'destabilise democracy' in Niger

The European Union on Wednesday slammed any moves to subvert democracy in Niger, after disgruntled members of the presidential guard detained the country's leader.

"Very concerned by the current events in Niamey. The EU condemns any attempt to destabilise democracy and threaten the stability of Niger," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell posted online.

Borrell said the EU "associates itself" with a statement from West African bloc ECOWAS decrying an attempt to seize power.

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.

The landlocked state has experienced four coups since independence from France in 1960 as well as numerous other attempts on power, including against Bazoum himself.

Lying in the heart of the arid Sahel, Niger is two-thirds desert and persistently ranks at the bottom, or near it, in the UN's Human Development Index, a benchmark of prosperity.