A French warplane has violated Niger's air border closure regime, which was imposed following a mutiny in the country, military mutineers said.
"The French partner bypassed [the decision] on closing land and air borders in order to land an A401-type military aircraft at Niamey international airport this morning at 6:30 am," said the military on behalf of the rebel National Council for the Safeguarding of the Homeland.
Earlier, Niger's military said during an address on national television that President Mohamed Bazoum was ousted and the borders closed. In addition, the military said that a curfew was declared in Niger.
French media later reported that Benin's President Patrice Talon had headed to Niger as a negotiator.
Commenting on the developments in Niger, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Moscow follows them "with great concern" and calls on the peaceful resolution of the crisis for the sake of the country's people.
UN Reaction
The events in Niger drew condemnation from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who called for the immediate and unconditional release of Bazoum.
"The United Nations strongly condemns the assault against the democratically-elected government and supports the efforts of ECOWAS and the African Union to restore democracy […] Release President Bazoum immediately and unconditionally," Guterres said at a press briefing.
The UN Chief added that he spoke with detained president who told him that he is well but that the situation is "very serious" amid the attempted coup.
"I spoke yesterday with President Bazoum. I don’t know exactly where he is. But he was detained," Guterres said. "He told me he was well, but he told me that the situation was very serious."
According to local media, the supposed reason for the mutiny is Bazoum's intention to fire the commander of the Presidential Guard, Omar Tchiani.