People in Niger have woken up to a divided country after mutinous soldiers claimed to have ousted the president.
But the government said it will never accept their rule and has called for the population to reject it.
Foreign affairs minister Hassoumi Massoudou told news network France 24 on Thursday: “There was an attempted coup but of course we cannot accept it.
“We call on all Nigerien democratic patriots to stand up as one to say no to this factious action that tends to set us back decades and block the progress of our country.”
Mr Massoudou also called for the president’s unconditional release and said talks are ongoing.
President Mohamed Bazoum was elected in 2021 in the West African nation’s first peaceful, democratic transfer of power since its independence from France in 1960.
He thwarted a coup attempt days before he was sworn in.
Threats to his leadership undermine the West’s efforts to stabilise Africa’s Sahel region, which has been overrun with coups in recent years.
Mali and Burkina Faso have had four coups since 2020 and both are being overrun by extremists linked to al-Qaida and the terrorist group calling itself Islamic State.
This afternoon @antonioguterres spoke to @mohamedbazoum. He expressed his full support and solidarity to the Nigerien President. https://t.co/mSLUs48W4Q
— UN Spokesperson (@UN_Spokesperson) July 26, 2023
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US secretary of state Antony Blinken visited Niger in March, seeking to strengthen ties with a country where extremists have carried out attacks on civilians and military personnel but the overall security situation is not as dire as in neighbouring nations.
On Wednesday morning, members of the presidential guard surrounded the house of Mr Bazoum with him and his wife inside and detained him.
The mutinous soldiers, who call themselves the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Country, took to state television and announced they had seized control because of the deteriorating security and bad economic and social governance of the nation’s 25 million people.
They said all institutions have been suspended and security forces are managing the situation and urged external partners not to interfere.
The coup was allegedly sparked by the head of the presidential guard, General Tchiani, who the president planned to relieve from his position, Niger analysts say.
The president has not and will not resign and is safe in his home, a source close to him said.
“The hard-won achievements will be safeguarded. All Nigeriens who love democracy and freedom will see to it,” Mr Bazoum tweeted early on Thursday morning.
It is unclear how much support the coup leaders have from the rest of the security forces, but support for Mr Bazoum among the population and political parties appears strong.
In a statement on Wednesday, a group of Nigerien political groups said the situation was “suicidal and anti-republican madness”.
“Our country, faced with insecurity, terrorism and the challenges of underdevelopment, cannot afford to be distracted,” it said.
Benin president Patrice Talon, head of the Economic Community of West African State, is expected to lead talks as part of mediation efforts.
In an interview in December, Mr Bazoum said that while there is always the possibility of a coup when armies fail to secure a nation against extremists, Niger had the situation under control.
“We are doing well in managing our own situation,” he said.
For many western countries, Niger was seen as the last hope for partnership in the region with anti-French sentiment that led to a pivot from French forces in Mali to the Russian mercenary group Wagner, founded by millionaire businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Wagner is believed to be making inroads in Burkina Faso as well.
There is concern that a potential new regime in Niger would take a page from those countries’ playbooks and worsen instability.
The international community strongly condemned the coup on Thursday.
French foreign minister Catherine Colonna tweeted that France is concerned about the events in Niger and following the situation closely.
France “firmly condemns any attempt to take power by force”, the minister tweeted.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, tweeted that Niger is “an essential partner” for the EU in the Sahel and the region’s “destabilisation would serve no one’s interests”.
He reaffirmed the EU’s full support of Mr Bazoum.
