Supporters of a coup in Niger ransacked and set fire to the headquarters of the ruling party in the capital Niamey on Thursday after the army command declared its backing for the takeover carried out by soldiers of the presidential guard.
Plumes of black smoke billowed from the building, a Reuters reporter said, after hundreds of supporters of the coup who had gathered in front of the National Assembly moved towards there. Police dispersed them with volleys of teargas.
The crowd played pro-army music. Some waved Russian flags and chanted anti-French slogans, echoing a growing wave of resentment towards former colonial power France and its influence in the Sahel region.
"We have always believed in the army's actions and this time we are with them. For us this is joy," said Boubacar Hamidou, a human rights activist who was among the crowd outside parliament.
In a statement signed by its chief of staff, the army said it had "decided to adhere to the ... declaration" made by soldiers who announced in a late night televised address that they had stripped President Mohamed Bazoum of power.
It added that its priority was to avoid destabilising the country and it needed to "preserve the physical integrity" of the president and his family and avoid "a deadly confrontation ... that could create a bloodbath and affect the security of the population".
It was not immediately clear who would take over from Bazoum. The presidential guard, which is drawn from the armed forces and usually protects the president and his entourage, is headed by General Omar Tchiani.
Juntas in neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso have grown closer to Russia since they took charge, in 2020 and 2022 respectively, and cut ties with traditional Western allies.
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Since relations with their military governments soured, prompting foreign troop withdrawals, Niger's role had become increasingly important for Western powers helping fight a violent insurgency in the region. France moved troops to Niger from Mali last year.
Colonel Amadou Abdramane, who announced the coup on state television flanked by nine other officers, said defence and security forces had acted in response to deteriorating security and bad governance.
Insecurity has remained a problem since Bazoum was elected in 2021, as a jihadist insurgency that took root in Mali in 2012 gained ground, killing thousands and displacing over 6 million across the Sahel.
"We hope the army coming to power will resolve the security crisis. Today terrorism has uprooted so many villages ... our children have become widows and our grandchildren orphans," said Hadjia Aiss, an elderly woman who was among the crowd outside parliament.
France landed a military aircraft in the country on Thursday morning despite an airspace closure imposed overnight, Abdramane, a member of the air force, said.
There was no immediate comment from the French foreign and defence ministries.
Earlier, as Western officials said the status of Niger's coup attempt was unclear, Bazoum and Foreign Minister Hassoumi Massoudou urged democratic forces in the country to resist the power grab.
It marked the seventh coup in West and Central Africa since 2020.
In separate comments on Thursday, the African Union, West African regional bloc ECOWAS and Germany condemned the coup.
The takeover started on Wednesday, when some guards at the presidential palace in Niamey cut it off, blocking the president inside.
Abdramane announced on Thursday that all activities of political parties were suspended until further notice.
Bazoum, in a social media post on Thursday morning, vowed to protect "hard-won" democratic gains.
Frustrations over state failures to prevent attacks on towns and villages partly spurred two coups in Mali and two in Burkina Faso since 2020.
The president of neighbouring Benin, Patrice Talon, flew into Niger on Wednesday afternoon to mediate after meeting with Nigerian President and ECOWAS Chairman Bola Tinubu.
It was unclear on Thursday if talks were still ongoing.
