The United States has offered its “unwavering support” to ousted Nigerian President Mohamed Bazoum.
Bazoum was removed this week in a coup by General Abdourahmane Tchiani, also known as Omar Tchiani, the head of the Presidential Guard.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned those who held Bazoum that “hundreds of millions of dollars in aid funds” were at risk.
General Tchiani had previously declared himself the new head of the country.
Mr Bazoum is Niger’s first elected leader to succeed another since independence in 1960.
He was considered an important ally of Western countries in the fight against Islamist militants in the region. He is believed to be in good health now and still being held captive by his own guards.
Mr Blinken called Mr Bazoum for the second time in as many days and said Washington would continue to work to “ensure the full restoration of constitutional order and democratic governance in Niger”.
In a separate phone call with Mahamadou Issoufou — who was Niger’s president before Bazoum — Blinken said he “regrets that those holding Bazoum are jeopardizing years of fruitful collaboration and hundreds of millions of dollars to help,” department spokesman Matt Miller said.
The United Nations Security Council called for Bazoum’s immediate and unconditional release and condemned “the legitimate government’s attempts to change the constitution”.
France, whose colonial empire included Niger, declared that it would not recognize any of the coup plotters and would only recognize Bazoum as head of state.
“We reaffirm with the utmost determination the clear need of the international community for the immediate restoration of constitutional order and a democratically elected civil authority”; – reads the press release from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The coup has plunged the Sahel into even greater uncertainty after similar takeovers in Burkina Faso and Mali.
It has been strongly condemned by international organizations such as the African Union, the West African Regional Bloc (ECOWAS), the EU and the United Nations.
However, the head of Wagner’s Russian mercenary group reportedly praised the coup and called it a triumph.
“What happened in Niger is nothing other than the struggle of the Nigerian people against their colonial masters”; Yevgeny Prigozhin was quoted on the Telegram channel associated with Wagner.
The BBC says it could not verify the authenticity of his reported comments.
The Wagner Group is believed to have thousands of fighters in countries like Central African Republic (CAR) and Mali, where it does lucrative business, but also strengthens Russia’s diplomatic and economic ties. Wagner activists are accused of widespread human rights violations in several African countries.
General Tchiani, 62, has headed the Presidential Guard since 2011 and was promoted to general in 2018 by former President Issoufou.
He has also been linked to an attempted coup against the former president in 2015, but appeared in court and denied it.
