Niger President seized in military coup
NIGER: Mutinous troops led by an army colonel captured Niger’s
President Mamadou Tandja after a gun battle on Thursday, and said they
were suspending the constitution and dissolving all political
institutions.
Tensions had been high in the west African uranium exporter since
Tandja changed the constitution to extend his rule last year, a move
that drew widespread criticism at home and led to international
sanctions.
“We, the security and defence forces, have decided to take
responsibility for putting an end to the tense political situation that
you are already aware of,” a spokesman for the military junta, which
called itself the Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy (CSRD),
said in a statement on state television late on Thursday evening.
The statement made no mention of Tandja, but military sources said he
had been seized along with several ministers.
They said soldiers led by Colonel Adamou Harouna had stormed the
presidential palace in a four-hour gun battle in the heart of the
capital, Niamey.
The new military rulers’ statement said they had closed the borders
and imposed an overnight curfew.
They gave no indication of how long they intended to hold power but
called on Nigeriens and the international community to support their
actions. The West African economic body ECOWAS said it would punish any
unconstitutional power-grab.
During the day, plumes of smoke were seen rising from the palace amid
heavy gunfire. Hospital sources said at least three soldiers were killed
in the clashes. A Reuters witness saw five injured soldiers at a
hospital.
Later a Niamey resident told Reuters: “Calm has returned and tanks
have taken up positions close to the barracks, where Tandja and members
of his government were rumoured to be held.”
The resident, who asked not to be named, said a soldier living next
door had told her not to worry as there would be no more resistance
since the entire army supported the coup. NIAMEY, Friday, Reuters |