Niger's presidential guard has detained President Bazoum, raising fears of a coup

Soldiers from Niger's presidential guard have blockaded the presidential palace and detained the President Mohamed Bazoum, in what could be an attempted coup in the West African country.

President Bazoum's official account tweeted that some elements of the presidential guard were behind an "anti-Republican demonstration" but failed to failed to gain the support of the armed forces and national guard. The post has since been deleted.

The soldiers' demands remained unclear.

Regional bloc the Economic Community of West African States condemned what it called "the attempted coup d'etat" and called for Bazoum's release, pledging to hold those involved responsible.

Niger has had four coups since gaining independence from France in 1960 and numerous attempted takeovers, including against Bazoum.

In recent years, there has been a resurgence of attempted coups in the African region known as the Sahel, where countries are battling Islamist insurgencies.

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