The coup in Niger is “a setback that aggravates the complex development challenges in the country and in the Sahel further,” German development minister Svenja Schulze said on Tuesday during a visit to West Africa, as reported by Reuter.
“We call for the immediate release of President Mohamed Bazoum and for the full restoration of constitutional order in the Republic of Niger,” Schulze said in a statement on behalf of the Sahel Alliance.
Niger’s president was ousted on July 26. He and his family have been held in the basement of the presidential palace since the coup.
In the TV announcement, Col Maj Amadou Abdramane, alongside nine other uniformed soldiers behind him, said: “We, the defence and security forces… have decided to put an end to the regime you know.
Two neighbouring countries, Mali and Burkina Faso, have experienced coups triggered by jihadist uprisings in recent years.