The ongoing military coup in Niger threatens to destabilize one of the last remaining Western allies in Africa’s Sahel region. France called for the release of Niger’s president, Mohamed Bazuma.
On Wednesday evening, Niger’s top military units announced on national television that they had overthrown the country’s president, Bazuma, who was democratically elected to office in 2021. “We, the defense and security forces (..) have decided to terminate [prezidenta Bazuma] regime,” Major Colonel Amadu Abdramans, who was surrounded by nine other soldiers, announced in a televised address.
They announced that “all institutions” in the country are being suspended, borders are being closed and a curfew has been imposed “until further notice”: “This follows the continued deterioration of the security situation and poor economic and social governance.”
On Thursday, the French Foreign Ministry in a public statement called for the release of the military and the restoration of Niger’s presidency: “We call for the respect and immediate restoration of the integrity of the democratic institutions in Niger.”
2023-07-28 10:46:30
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