{"id":81090,"date":"2023-08-05T18:07:08","date_gmt":"2023-08-05T16:07:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/?p=81090"},"modified":"2023-08-05T18:07:08","modified_gmt":"2023-08-05T16:07:08","slug":"niger-soldiers-claim-power-after-presidents-guards-reportedly-seize-him","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/niger-soldiers-claim-power-after-presidents-guards-reportedly-seize-him\/","title":{"rendered":"Niger soldiers claim power after president’s guards reportedly seize him"},"content":{"rendered":"

Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za<\/a><\/p>\n

2-minute read
\n05 August 2023 | 17:56 CAT<\/p>\n

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Image: WSIL<\/p><\/div>\n

Men in military fatigues claimed to have taken power in Niger after President Bazoum was reportedly seized by presidential guard members, sparking international condemnation and renewed uncertainty in a volatile part of Africa beset by coups and militant extremism.<\/p>\n

In a video communique, a man identified as Colonel-Major Amadou Abdramane and flanked by several apparent soldiers, announced, “We have decided to put an end to the regime that you know,” citing a deteriorating security situation in the country and “poor economic and social governance.”<\/p>\n

He also said that national institutions have been suspended, and the country’s land borders are temporarily closed.<\/p>\n

Foreign Minister Hassoumi Massoudou called the soldiers’ actions “an attempted coup d’etat” but said, “the totality of the army was not behind the coup.”<\/p>\n

Journalist specialized in African Business and economy, Jonathan Offei-Ansah told Radio Islam International, “while there are many factors attributing to the coup d’etat, mis-governance and corruption in official circles had a crucial role.”<\/p>\n

Niger’s presidential office said that “hard-won achievements will be safeguarded.” The statement, posted on Twitter and being rebranded as X, did not mention whether Bazoum is still being detained.<\/p>\n

Niger has had a long history of military coups since its independence from France in 1960; however, it has been less politically unstable in recent years. When Bazoum came to office in 2021, it was the country’s first democratic power transfer.<\/p>\n

Much of Africa’s Sahel region has found itself confronting insurgencies, including Niger which has received support from the United States and France in tackling extremists.<\/p>\n

But the region has also seen multiple coups recently, including in Niger’s neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso.<\/p>\n

Listen to the full interview on Your World Today with Moulana Junaid Kharsany.<\/p>\n