Niger soldiers claim to have overthrown president | The Business Standard
Skip to main content
  • Latest
  • Economy
    • Banking
    • Stocks
    • Industry
    • Analysis
    • Bazaar
    • RMG
    • Corporates
    • Aviation
  • Videos
    • TBS Today
    • TBS Stories
    • TBS World
    • News of the day
    • TBS Programs
    • Podcast
    • Editor's Pick
  • World+Biz
  • Features
    • Panorama
    • The Big Picture
    • Pursuit
    • Habitat
    • Thoughts
    • Splash
    • Mode
    • Tech
    • Explorer
    • Brands
    • In Focus
    • Book Review
    • Earth
    • Food
    • Luxury
    • Wheels
  • Subscribe
    • Get the Paper
    • Epaper
    • GOVT. Ad
  • More
    • Sports
    • TBS Graduates
    • Bangladesh
    • Supplement
    • Infograph
    • Archive
    • Gallery
    • Long Read
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Magazine
    • Climate Change
    • Health
    • Cartoons
  • বাংলা
The Business Standard

Tuesday
July 22, 2025

Sign In
Subscribe
  • Latest
  • Economy
    • Banking
    • Stocks
    • Industry
    • Analysis
    • Bazaar
    • RMG
    • Corporates
    • Aviation
  • Videos
    • TBS Today
    • TBS Stories
    • TBS World
    • News of the day
    • TBS Programs
    • Podcast
    • Editor's Pick
  • World+Biz
  • Features
    • Panorama
    • The Big Picture
    • Pursuit
    • Habitat
    • Thoughts
    • Splash
    • Mode
    • Tech
    • Explorer
    • Brands
    • In Focus
    • Book Review
    • Earth
    • Food
    • Luxury
    • Wheels
  • Subscribe
    • Get the Paper
    • Epaper
    • GOVT. Ad
  • More
    • Sports
    • TBS Graduates
    • Bangladesh
    • Supplement
    • Infograph
    • Archive
    • Gallery
    • Long Read
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Magazine
    • Climate Change
    • Health
    • Cartoons
  • বাংলা
TUESDAY, JULY 22, 2025
Niger soldiers claim to have overthrown president

Politics

BSS/AFP
27 July, 2023, 09:40 am
Last modified: 27 July, 2023, 12:08 pm

Related News

  • Woman jailed for 14 years in Brazil after 'lipstick coup'
  • Turkey detains Istanbul mayor in what opposition calls 'coup'
  • Soldiers surround Bolivian presidential palace in attempted coup
  • Democratic Republic of Congo army says it thwarted attempted coup
  • Russian troops enter base housing US military in Niger, US official says

Niger soldiers claim to have overthrown president

BSS/AFP
27 July, 2023, 09:40 am
Last modified: 27 July, 2023, 12:08 pm
Photo: Collected
Photo: Collected

Soldiers claimed to have overthrown the Niger government on Wednesday following an apparent coup in the fragile state.

Disgruntled members of the elite Presidential Guard sealed off access to President Mohamed Bazoum's residence and offices in the capital Niamey, and after talks broke down "refused to release" him, a presidential source said.

Blinken calls for immediate release of Niger president

Regional and global leaders called for the release of Bazoum, who entered office two years ago in Niger's first peaceful transition of power since independence.

The Business Standard Google News Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel

The president of neighbouring Benin, Patrice Talon, would head to Niamey for mediation efforts, the head of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) said.

In a televised address late Wednesday, Colonel-Major Amadou Abdramane said: "We, the defence and security forces... have decided to put an end to the regime" of President Bazoum.

"This follows the continued deterioration of the security situation, poor economic and social governance," he added, surrounded by nine other uniformed soldiers.

They said "all institutions" in the country would be suspended, borders were closed, and a curfew had been imposed "until further notice", from 10 pm to 5 am.

Abdramane sought to reassure "the national and international community with regard to respect for the physical and moral integrity of the deposed authorities in accordance with the principles of human rights".

One of a dwindling group of pro-Western leaders in the Sahel, Bazoum was elected in April 2021, taking the helm of a country burdened by poverty, chronic instability and plagued in recent years by jihadist insurgency.

Niger soldiers say President Bazoum's government has been removed

In a message on Twitter, which is being rebranded as X, the president's office said "elements of the Presidential Guard (PG) had a fit of temper... (and) tried unsuccessfully to gain the support of the national armed forces and the national guard".

"The army and national guard are ready to attack the elements of the PG who are involved in this fit of temper if they do not return to a better disposition," the presidency said.

"The president and his family are well," it added.

Hours after his detention, Bazoum's supporters had tried to approach the official complex, but were dispersed by members of the Presidential Guard who fired warning shots, an AFP reporter saw.

One person was hurt, but it was not immediately clear if he was injured by a bullet or from falling as the crowd scattered.

The parties of Niger's ruling coalition in Niamey denounced "a suicidal and anti-republican madness" in a statement, saying that "certain elements of the presidential guard sequestered the President" and his family, as well as the interior minister.

Condemnation also poured in from beyond the nation's borders.
ECOWAS and the African Union both decried what they called an "attempted coup d'etat".

ECOWAS called for Bazoum's immediate and unconditional release, and warned all those involved would be held responsible for his safety.
The European Union said it "associates itself" with the ECOWAS statement and attacked "any attempt to destabilise democracy and threaten the stability" of Niger.

Both UN chief Antonio Guterres and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said they had spoken to Bazoum to offer their support.

France -- Niger's former colonial power -- and neighbouring Algeria also issued condemnations, as did the World Bank which said it "strongly condemns any attempt to seize power by force" or "destabilise" Niger.

President Talon was expected to arrive in Niamey Thursday, after a meeting in Abuja Wednesday with Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Tinubu said President Talon would mediate with both the Presidential Guard and Bazoum, with a view to finding an agreement.

Coup-prone

The landlocked Sahel state has experienced four coups since independence from France in 1960, and numerous other attempts.

Bazoum, a former interior minister, was right-hand man to former president Mahamadou Issoufou, who voluntarily stepped down after two terms.

But reminders of the troubled past have never been far away.
An attempted coup took place just days before Bazoum's inauguration, according to a security source at the time.

Several people were arrested, including the suspected ringleader. Five people were jailed in February for 20 years.

A second bid to oust Bazoum occurred last March "while the president... was in Turkey", according to a Niger official, who said an arrest was made. The authorities have never commented publicly on the incident.

Poverty and jihadism

The nation of 22 million is two-thirds desert and frequently ranks at the bottom of the UN's Human Development Index, a benchmark of prosperity.

Niger is struggling with two jihadist campaigns -- one in the southwest, which swept in from Mali in 2015, and the other in the southeast, involving jihadists from northeastern Nigeria.

Hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes, stoking a humanitarian crisis and further straining the economy.

The poorly equipped military is receiving training and logistical support from the United States and France, which have bases there.

Top News / World+Biz / Africa

Niger / coup

Comments

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderation decisions are subjective. Published comments are readers’ own views and The Business Standard does not endorse any of the readers’ comments.

Top Stories

  • Photo: CA Press Wing
    CA holds meeting with leaders of four major political parties after day-long protests for edu adviser's resignation
  • Photo: Syed Zakir Hossain/TBS
    Secretariat protest: 75 injured in police-protester clash over edu adviser's resignation for delaying HSC rescheduling
  • Bangladesh win nail-biter to clinch series win 
    Bangladesh win nail-biter to clinch series win 

MOST VIEWED

  • Training aircraft crashes at the Diabari campus of Milestone College on 21 July 2025. Photo: Courtesy
    BAF jet crash at Milestone school: At least 20 including children, pilot dead; 171 hospitalised
  • Flight Lieutenant Md Towkir Islam. Photo: Collected
    Pilot tried to avoid disaster by steering crashing jet away from populated area: ISPR
  • An idle luxury: Built at a cost of Tk450 crore, this rest house near Parki Beach in Anwara upazila has stood unused for six months. Perched on the southern bank of the Karnaphuli, the facility now awaits a private lease as the Bridge Division seeks to put it to use. Photo: Md Minhaz Uddin
    Karnaphuli Tunnel’s service area holds tourism promises, but tall order ahead
  • Bangladesh declares one-day state mourning following plane crash on school campus
    Bangladesh declares one-day state mourning following plane crash on school campus
  • 91-day treasury bills rate falls 1.13 percentage points to 10.45% in a week
    91-day treasury bills rate falls 1.13 percentage points to 10.45% in a week
  • Air Force F-7 BJI training aircraft crashes at Milestone College in Uttara
    Air Force F-7 BJI training aircraft crashes at Milestone College in Uttara

Related News

  • Woman jailed for 14 years in Brazil after 'lipstick coup'
  • Turkey detains Istanbul mayor in what opposition calls 'coup'
  • Soldiers surround Bolivian presidential palace in attempted coup
  • Democratic Republic of Congo army says it thwarted attempted coup
  • Russian troops enter base housing US military in Niger, US official says

Features

Photo: Mehedi Hasan/TBS

Aggrieved nation left with questions as citizens rally to help at burn institute

7h | Panorama
Photo: TBS

Mourning turns into outrage as Milestone students seek truth and justice

1h | Panorama
Illustration: TBS

Uttara, Jatrabari, Savar and more: The killing fields that ran red with July martyrs’ blood

1d | Panorama
Despite all the adversities, girls from the hill districts are consistently pushing the boundaries to earn repute and make the nation proud. Photos: TBS

Ghagra: Where dreams rise from dust for Bangladesh women's football

2d | Panorama

More Videos from TBS

What information did the director of the NBPSI give about the admitted patients?

What information did the director of the NBPSI give about the admitted patients?

15m | TBS Today
What is discussed at the Chief Advisor's meeting?

What is discussed at the Chief Advisor's meeting?

30m | TBS Today
Two advisors and press secretary were blocked at Milestone for 8 hours

Two advisors and press secretary were blocked at Milestone for 8 hours

40m | TBS Today
Chief advisor's meeting with 4 parties; what was discussed?

Chief advisor's meeting with 4 parties; what was discussed?

1h | TBS Today
EMAIL US
contact@tbsnews.net
FOLLOW US
WHATSAPP
+880 1847416158
The Business Standard
  • About Us
  • Contact us
  • Sitemap
  • Advertisement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Comment Policy
Copyright © 2025
The Business Standard All rights reserved
Technical Partner: RSI Lab

Contact Us

The Business Standard

Main Office -4/A, Eskaton Garden, Dhaka- 1000

Phone: +8801847 416158 - 59

Send Opinion articles to - oped.tbs@gmail.com

For advertisement- sales@tbsnews.net