Niger’s presidential palace in the capital Niamey has been blockaded by some soldiers from the presidential guard, as reported by multiple security sources on Wednesday.
A Reuters journalist observed military vehicles obstructing the entrance to the palace, and nearby ministries were also inaccessible due to the blockade.
An official within the presidency stated that staff inside the palace were unable to reach their offices. It remains unclear whether President Mohamed Bazoum was present at the time.
Despite the situation at the palace, Niamey seemed relatively calm on Wednesday morning, with regular traffic on the roads and uninterrupted internet access, according to the Reuters reporter.
This development bears resemblance to previous military takeovers in neighboring countries such as Mali and Burkina Faso since 2020.
Those coups were partly triggered by frustrations over the authorities’ inability to quell the Islamist insurgency in the Sahel region, which includes Niger.
Niger itself experienced a thwarted coup attempt in March 2021 when a military unit tried to seize the presidential palace shortly before President Bazoum’s inauguration.
Niger holds significant importance as a crucial ally to Western powers supporting local troops in their fight against the insurgency, which originated in Mali in 2012 and has spread to other nearby nations, including Burkina Faso and southern coastal states.
France had previously moved troops from Mali to Niger after its relations with the junta in Mali deteriorated.
President Bazoum’s election marked the first democratic transfer of power in Niger, a country that has witnessed four military coups since gaining independence from France in 1960.
