Niamey: – The special unit busted a coup attempted by a group from the military against the newly elected Niger President Mohamed Bazoum. The rebel soldiers fired on the Presidential residence. No casualties were reported in the firing and the rebel soldiers have been detained.
Bazoum, who scored a victory over Mahamadou Issoufou in the Presidential elections, was scheduled to be sworn in on coming Friday. But, on Wednesday, early in the morning, a military group declared a rebellion against him. These rebel soldiers attacked the Presidential residence in capital Niamey. Locals said that the conflict lasted for 15 to 20 minutes. But the Presidential security busted the coup and even detained some of the rebel soldiers. Search is being carried out for the mastermind of the coup.
Bazoum was the Internal Security Minister in the current government of Issoufou. France and other countries welcomed his election. But former President Mahamane Ousmane, who contested against Bazoum, declared that he had emerged victorious and announced an agitation against Bazoum. Therefore, it is possible that supporters of Usmane triggered the coup. Niger, a country in the Sahel region of Africa, is believed to be the poorest country in the world. Niger has a population of 32.5 million and the Gross Domestic Product is in the range of $13 billion. Reports have been published that more than 40% of the country’s population is below poverty line.
Niger is ranked fourth in Uranium production. There also are oil and gold mines in the country. But the country has not been able to progress due to political instability and terrorism. The country has been rocked by the attacks from the terrorist organisation Boko haram. A few days ago, 137 people were killed in Boko Haram’s attack in the border region near Mali.
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