A coup d’état might well be underway in Niger Republic as the elite Presidential Guard has taken President Bazoum Mohamed hostage since this morning refuses to retreat.
They have blocked access to the residence and offices of Niger President Bazoum since Wednesday morning.
But aside the sealing of the access to both Bazoum’s official home and offices in the Presidential Complex in Niamey, there has not been abnormal military deployment or sounds of gunfire in the area, and traffic was normal,
Niger Republic, a landlocked country, is one of the most unstable nations in the world, experiencing four coups since independence from France in 1960 as well as numerous other attempts at power.
To forestall the cou d’etat, the Army and the National Guard are currently deploying around the Presidential Palace.
According to a source, the Presidential Guard initially wanted the support of the military in toppling the Bazoum government, but it seems that the have refused to support the mutiny, as their deployment shows.
Already, Nigeria and ECOWAS, in a statement signed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is the Chairperson of ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, warned that the sub-regional body and its “leadership will not accept any action that impedes the smooth functioning of legitimate authority in Niger or any part of West Africa.”
President Tinubu said both Nigeria and ECOWAS will go to any length to “defend and preserve constitutional order.”
