Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah has expressed concern over the situation in Niger after soldiers from the Presidential Guard of President Mohamed Bazoum sealed off access to his official residence in Niamey on Wednesday.
Calling for action to halt coups in Africa, the PM warned that the destabilization of an African country will be felt far beyond the region and the continent.
He urged adherence to the "principles of the African Union," which rejects unconstitutional changes of governments.
“We join our voice with the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in their call for the return of stability and the unity of Niger's democratic institutions," the PM's media office quoted him as saying on Wednesday.
Vice President of Libya's Presidential Council Musa El-Koni in a separate statement also condemned attempts to subvert the functioning of Niger's elected government, which he said charted an exceptional path for democracy and the unity of Niger.
He expressed support for President Bazoum and "the outcome of the ballot box."
West Africa's main regional and economic bloc, ECOWAS, said it was concerned about an attempted coup d'etat and called on the plotters to free Bazoum. The African Union also condemned what it called a coup attempt and urged the "felon" soldiers involved to return to barracks immediately.
