SW News: After hours of being detained by members of the presidential guard at the politician's official mansion, soldiers in Niger claimed to have ousted President Mohamed Bazoum from office late on Wednesday.

Colonel-Major Amadou Abdramane declared on national television that the defence and security forces have decided to put an end to the regime as a result of the poor social and economic management and the ongoing deterioration of the security situation.

He said that a nationwide curfew was in effect and the nation's borders were closed. All national institutions were also suspended.

Nine more officers in fatigues surrounded Abdramane as he read out his statement. The organization, which refers to itself as the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Country, issued a warning against any outside interference.
The declaration followed a day of ambiguity during which the Niger presidency claimed that members of the elite guard unit were participating in an anti-Republican demonstration.
The location of the president at the time of Abdramane's declaration and whether or not he had resigned was unknown. The United States has demanded the immediate release of the president. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in New Zealand that he spoke with the President stating that the United States resolutely supports him as the democratically elected president of Niger.
The military coup, the eighth in West and Central Africa since 2020, could make it more difficult for the West to assist Sahelian nations in their struggle against armed organizations with ties to al-Qaeda and ISIS (ISIL).

The landlocked, former French colony of Niger has emerged as a crucial ally for Western nations looking to support efforts to combat armed groups. It also plays a crucial role for the European Union in its efforts to combat irregular migration from sub-Saharan Africa.

The moves against President Bazoum were described as an attempt to unseat the politician earlier on Wednesday by commissions of the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Bazoum was elected two years ago in the first democratic transfer of power since the country’s independence from France in 1960.

A UN official tweeted that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his support and solidarity with the Niger President. France and the United Nations have also expressed concern.