Niger's newly elected president Mohamed Bazoum will be sworn in on Friday.
Camera IconNiger's newly elected president Mohamed Bazoum will be sworn in on Friday. Credit: EPA

Niger 'foils coup bid' before inauguration

Boureima Balima and Moussa AksarAAP

A military unit tried to seize the presidential palace in Niger's capital Niamey overnight in an attempted coup but order has been restored, the government says, days before the country's first democratic handover of power.

The assailants, from a nearby air base, fled after the presidential guard met their attack with heavy shelling and gunfire, three security sources said, requesting anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to media.

Government spokesman Abdourahamane Zakaria said several people had been arrested while others were still being sought but that the situation was under control.

"The government condemns this cowardly and retrogressive act that aims to endanger democracy and the rule of law to which our country is resolutely committed," he told a news conference.

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Assuring people they could go about their daily lives, he said: "The government congratulates the presidential guard and the other defence and security forces for their prompt reaction, a testament of their loyalty to the republic."

He did not take questions.

President Mahamadou Issoufou is stepping down after two five-year terms and president-elect Mohamed Bazoum, the ruling party candidate, is due to be sworn in on Friday after an election victory disputed by his opponent Mahamane Ousmane.

Former US Sahel envoy J Peter Pham earlier tweeted that both the president and president-elect were safe, and the president's office shared photos on Twitter of Issoufou presiding over the swearing-in ceremony for two top judges.

Ousmane's whereabouts were not known.

In pockets of the capital on Wednesday, Ousmane supporters took to the streets for a scheduled protest and clashed with police, who fired tear gas to disperse them, according to witnesses, who also said roads out of the city had been closed.

Bazoum's election is the first democratic transition of power in a state that has witnessed four military coups since independence from France in 1960, including one which toppled Ousmane in 1996.

The heavy gunfire started about 3am local time and lasted for about 30 minutes, according to a Reuters witness.

By 10am traffic had resumed in the area and the situation appeared normal, several witnesses said.