Niger junta says France planning strikes to free Bazoum

The Niger military junta that seized power last week and ousted democratically elected president Mohamed Bazoum said on Monday the toppled government had authorised France to carry out strikes at the presidency to try to free Bazoum.

The military junta, which has confined Bazoum to the presidential palace since Wednesday, has previously warned against foreign attempts to extract him, saying it would result in bloodshed and chaos.

The military’s comments were made by army Colonel Amadou Abdramane, one of the coup plotters, on state television. He said that the authorisation was signed by Niger Foreign Affairs Minister Hassoumi Massoudou, acting as prime minister.

Massoudou could not be reached for comment. France has condemned the coup and urged that Bazoum be reinstated but has not announced any intention to intervene militarily. Paris did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Monday.

The coup in Niger followed military takeovers in neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso over the last two years, all of which have come amid a wave of anti-French sentiment.

France has had troops in the region for a decade helping to fight an Islamist insurgency, but some locals say they want the former colonial ruler to stop intervening in their affairs.