President of Niger placed under house arrest in the presidential palace

According to Reuters, citing sources in Niger’s security service, the presidential guard of Niger detained President Mohamed Bazoum, as well as several ministers and officials, on Wednesday, July 26.

A group of military personnel announced on Niger’s national television that they had overthrown President Mohamed Bazoum. They stated that they acted against Bazoum “due to the deteriorating security situation and unsatisfactory management in the economic and social spheres.”

However, Mohamed Bazoum wrote on his Twitter on Thursday morning that “the hard-won achievements will be preserved.”

“All citizens of Niger who love democracy and freedom will take care of this,” the president’s message said.

At the same time, Al Jazeera reports that Niger’s Foreign Minister Hassoumi Massoudou has declared himself the acting president of Niger. In a conversation with France 24, he stated that “the legitimate and elected president remains Mohamed Bazoum. He is healthy and doing well.” He called the coup unsuccessful and added that “the recent events were a coup, and fortunately, not the entire army was involved.”

According to media reports, thousands of citizens staged protests outside the presidential palace, demanding his immediate release.

The new military junta has imposed a curfew in the country and announced that maritime and air borders will be closed until the situation stabilizes.

Since 2020, Niger is the third country where the military has declared a coup. Previously, coups were organized in Chad and Mali.

President Mohamed Bazoum was democratically elected in 2021. He is considered the first president elected by the people rather than coming to power through a coup.