A group of soldiers describing themselves as the “National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland” appeared on national television in Niger late Thursday night announcing they had overthrown President Mohamed Bazoum and “suspended” the operations of all government institutions.
The status of the alleged coup remains unclear at press time – reports from Niger’s main cities on Thursday suggested many civilians going to work or otherwise behaving normally, with no indication of whether Bazoum’s government or the military was in charge. Bazoum has not appeared publicly since Thursday, but posted a message on Twitter in the early morning hours of Thursday vowing to protect “democracy and freedom.”
This is the third coup attempt against Bazoum since he took office following elections in 2021. Bazoum is the nation’s first leader to rise to power in a peaceful…
