Niger President, Mohamed Bazoum is being detained by members of the Presidential Guard, who have been given an “ultimatum” by the army, a source close to Bazoum said on Wednesday.
Recall that guard members sealed off access to the president’s residence and offices and, after talks broke down, “they refused to release the president,” a source said.
Access was sealed off to Bazoum’s official home and offices in the presidential complex in Niamey.
However, there was no abnormal military deployment or sounds of gunfire in the area, and traffic was regular, according to reports.
The country’s last coup occurred in February 2010, overthrowing then-president Mamadou Tandja.
However, according to a security source, there was an attempted putsch on March 31, 2021, just two days before Bazoum’s inauguration.
Several people were arrested, including the suspected ringleader, an Air Force captain named Sani Gourouza.
He was arrested in neighbouring Benin and handed over to the Niger authorities.
Meanwhile, Al Jazeera reports that the Niger’s presidency has said some members of the presidential guard tried to move against President Bazoum, warning that the army was ready to attack them if they did not back down.
The presidency’s official Twitter account said on Wednesday that presidential guards engaged in an “anti-Republican demonstration” and tried “in vain” to obtain the support of the other security forces.
It added that Bazoum and his family were well.
