The
assailants, from a nearby air base, fled after their attack was met with
heavy shelling and gunfire from the presidential guard unit, three
other security sources said, adding that a search was ongoing. The
sources all requested anonymity because they are not authorised to speak
to media.
They
did not comment on the whereabouts of president-elect Mohamed Bazoum,
who is due to be sworn in on Friday after an election victory disputed
by his opponent Mahamane Ousmane. President Mahamadou Issoufou is
stepping down after two five-year terms.
The
president’s office shared photos on Twitter of Issoufou presiding over
the swearing-in ceremony of two new members of the constitutional court
on Wednesday morning.
Former
U.S. Sahel envoy J. Peter Pham earlier tweeted that both the president
and president-elect were safe. The government of Niger was not
immediately available to comment.
There have
been growing attacks by Islamist militants as well as protests in the
country following Bazoum’s victory in a February presidential election
runoff. Ousmane, a former president who lost that contest, has rejected
the results and said there was fraud.
In
pockets of the capital on Wednesday, Ousmane supporters took to the
streets for a scheduled protest and clashed with police, who fired
teargas 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 the west
African state that has witnessed four military coups since independence
from France in 1960, including one which toppled Ousmane in 1996.
The
heavy gunfire started around 3 a.m. local time (0200 GMT) and lasted
for around 30 minutes, according to a Reuters witness. By 10 a.m.
traffic had resumed in the area and the situation appeared normal, said
several witnesses.
The U.S.
Embassy in Niamey said it was closed for the day due to gunshots heard
in the neighbourhood and warned that the security situation remained
fluid in the post-election period.
Rising
insecurity in the region caused by jihadists linked to al Qaeda and
Islamic State has compounded economic challenges for Niger including
drought, the COVID-19 pandemic, and low prices for its top export
uranium.
A
coup in neighbouring Mali in August last year overthrew president
Boubacar Keita. Under pressure from regional states, the junta ceded
power to a transitional government that will govern until elections next
year.
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