Presidential Guards In Niger Repel 'Attempted Coup' In Niamey - Government

Presidential guards in Niger's capital Niamey repelled 'the attempted coup' on Tuesday night just days before President-elect Mohamed Bazoum is scheduled to be sworn-in, Abdourahamane Zakaria, a government spokesman, said on Wednesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 31st March, 2021) Presidential guards in Niger's capital Niamey repelled 'the attempted coup' on Tuesday night just days before President-elect Mohamed Bazoum is scheduled to be sworn-in, Abdourahamane Zakaria, a government spokesman, said on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, media reported that heavy gunfire near the presidency was heard on the night from Tuesday to Wednesday and lasted for about 15-20 minutes.

The government confirmed that the attack by a military unit on Niger's presidential palace was an attempted coup and announced the opening of investigations into the case.

"On the night of March 30-31, an attempted coup was thwarted. An investigation has been opened to establish the identities of the coup participants and accomplices in order to bring them to justice," the spokesman told reporters.

The spokesman said that several people had been arrested while others were still being sought, but the situation in the country was under control. He also stressed that Niger condemned the act as aiming to endanger democracy and the rule of law in the country.

Bazoum's inauguration is scheduled for Friday and tensions are running high in Niamey in the lead-up to the swearing-in ceremony. Earlier in March, Bazoum's victory in the February election was confirmed by the constitutional court but his main rival, Mahamane Ousmane, has called for peaceful protests across the country. At the same time, a planned opposition march on Wednesday was not allowed to take place by the authorities.