A group of soldiers calling themselves the "National Council for the Protection of the Homeland" (CNSP) read the coup statement in a video they shot at a headquarters and broadcast on the state television ORTN.
It is stated that General Omar Tchiani, who has served as the President's Guard Regiment Commander for about 10 years, is behind the coup.
In the statement read by Lieutenant Colonel Amadou Abdramane, it was reported that President Mohamed Bazoum was overthrown and the constitution was suspended due to the worsening security situation and the socioeconomic crisis the country was going through.
In the statement, it was noted that a curfew will be imposed between 22:00 and 05:00 and that all borders have been closed.
President Mohamed Bazoum was detained by elements of the Presidential Guard Regiment in the morning.
The people took to the streets to prevent the coup and protested for Bazoum's release.
It is stated that General Omar Tchiani, who has served as the President's Guard Regiment Commander for about 10 years, is behind the coup.
It was alleged that Bazoum recently wanted to dismiss Tchiani, who held the same post under the previous President Mahamadou Issoufou.
In Niger, which gained its independence from France in 1960, there have been 4 coups and countless coup attempts.
The most recent coup in the country was in 2010 against former President Mamadou Tandja.
Mohamed Bazoum, who was elected in February 2021 and was the first democratically elected president in the country, handed over to his democratically elected successor.
Bazoum experienced a coup attempt on March 31, 2021, before he could be sworn in, and the attempt was suppressed in a short time. Bazoum, who was in Turkey for a visit, had survived a coup attempt in March 2022 and returned to his country immediately.
Niger was considered the only ally of the Western powers in the region after the military administrations came to power in Mali and Burkina Faso in the Sahel region.
Neighbors Mali and Burkina Faso were close with Russia, while Niger was opposed to cooperating with the Russian security firm Wagner.