Niger’s army command on Thursday declared its support for a coup carried out the previous day by soldiers of the presidential guard, saying its priority was to avoid destabilising the country.
Hundreds of supporters of the coup gathered in front of the National Assembly in the capital Niamey, playing pro-army music under an overcast sky left by heavy morning showers.
Some waved Russian flags and chanted anti-French slogans, echoing a growing wave of resentment towards former colonial power France and its influence in the Sahel region.
The army, in a statement signed by its chief of staff, said it had “decided to adhere to the …declaration” made by soldiers who announced in a late-night televised address that they had stripped President Mohamed Bazoum of power.
The army needed to “preserve the physical integrity” of the president and his family and avoid “a deadly confrontation… that could create a bloodbath and affect the security of the population,” it added.—Agencies
