On July 27, after the announcement of the overthrow of Niger President Mohamed Bazoum by the country's bodyguards, the United Nations (UN) and other countries criticized it, calling it an "attempt to seize power by force."
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| Niger President Mohamed Bazoum was deposed hours after being detained in the presidential palace. (Source: Bloomberg) |
At a press conference in Wellington (New Zealand) on July 27, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken affirmed: "I cannot say whether this (Mr. Bazoum's removal and detention) constitutes a coup or not. That is for the lawyers, but it clearly constitutes an attempt to seize power by force and break the constitution."
At the same time, Mr. Blinken called for the immediate release of President Bazoum.
On the same day, in a phone call with the head of Niger, the US Secretary of State made it clear that further cooperation between Washington and Niger will depend on more democratic governance in this West African country.
The statement was issued by the US State Department press service after the military in Niger announced on national television that Mr Bazoum had been “stripped of power” and the country’s borders had been closed.
The US State Department said, affirming Washington's steadfast support for President Mohamed Bazoum and Niger's democracy, Secretary of State Blinken emphasized: "The United States stands with the people of Niger and our regional and international partners in condemning this attempt to seize power by force and overthrow the constitutional order."
The strong US economic and security partnership with Niger “depends on continued democratic governance and respect for the rule of law and human rights,” the official said.
Also on July 27, France criticized “any attempt to seize power by force” in Niger.
Sharing on Twitter (now renamed X), French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna stated: "Paris strongly condemns any attempt to seize power by force and supports the calls of the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to restore the integrity of democratic institutions in Niger."
Meanwhile, following the events in Niger with “great concern”, the German Foreign Ministry stressed that violence “is not a means to enforce political or personal interests”, and called for the release of Mr. Bazoum.
Previously, on July 26, Mr. Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, said that Mr. Antonio Guterres considered this an "unconstitutional change of government" in Niger.
Accordingly, Mr. Guterres was "extremely concerned" that members of the Niger Presidential Guard had detained the leader.
“The Secretary-General calls for an immediate end to all actions that undermine democratic principles in Niger,” Mr. Dujarric added.
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