Niger’s Presidential residence
The office and residence of Niger Republic President, Mohamed Bazoum, was on Wednesday morning reportedly surrounded and restricted access to by soldiers of the county’s presidential guard in what appeared to be a possible coup d’état.
The reason for the move, was still unclear as at press time.
Ministries next to the palace, revealed reports monitored in Lagos, had also been blocked off, and staff inside the palace not been able to access their offices.
The rest of Niamey, Niger’s capital, however, appears calm.
LSI Africa reports that discussions were underway between mutineers and the president.
The West African country is one of the most unstable nations in the world, experiencing four coups since independence from France in 1960.
Previous coups in Burkina Faso and Mali, were triggered in part, by frustrations over authorities’ failure to stem an Islamist insurgency nagging the Sahel region, which includes Niger.
There was also a thwarted coup attempt in Niger in March 2021, when a military unit tried to seize the presidential palace, days before Bazoum was due to be sworn in.
Former Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari, had described the attempted coup as “utterly naïve, despicable, and unacceptable”.
Buhari urged African leaders to “remain united against coups under whatever guise or form”, warning “coup plotters to learn from history on the consequences of instability caused by violent take-over of governments”.
