Niger president’s residence sealed off in possible coup attempt

Soldiers belonging to Niger’s presidential guard have surrounded and restricted access to President Mohamed Bazoum’s office and residence, in what appears to be a possible coup d’état. 

The reason for the move, which happened on Wednesday morning, is still unclear.

According to Reuters, ministries next to the palace have also been blocked off, and staff inside the palace have not been able to access their offices.

The rest of Niamey, Niger’s capital, however, appears calm.

LSI Africa reports that discussions are 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”, and warned “coup plotters to learn from history on the consequences of instability caused by violent takeover of governments”.