Iran Press/ Africa: President Mohamed Bazoum said his own guards were detaining him in the presidential palace in Niamey, but that the army remained loyal and had told the rebelling soldiers to stand down.
Disgruntled members of the guard sealed off access to the president’s residence and offices, and after talks broke down “refused to release the president,” the source said, adding: “The army has given them an ultimatum.”
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.
Security sources in the president's office told media that elite troops had suffered a "fit of temper" and that "talks" were underway looking to defuse the situation.
Ministries next to the palace have also been blocked off, and staff inside the palace have not been able to access their offices, presidency and security sources said.
The surrounding region has been unstable in recent years, with a series of coups in neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso since 2020.
There was also a thwarted coup attempt in Niger in March 2021, when a military unit tried to seize the presidential palace days before Bazoum was due to be sworn in.
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