• Gen Abdourahmane Tchiani has taken control of Niger in a coup.
• The international community has condemned the coup.
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• Tchiani has stated that his junta took control of Niger due to various issues.

Niger is facing a crisis as Gen Abdourahmane Tchiani, also known as Omar Tchiani, has taken control of the country in a dramatic coup.

The coup began on Wednesday when the presidential guards unit, led by Tchiani, captured President Mohamed Bazoum, who is still being held captive. This coup marks the end of Niger’s first peaceful and democratic transition since gaining independence in 1960.

President Bazoum, known as a crucial ally in the fight against Islamist militants in the region, is said to be in good health despite his captivity.

The international community, including the African Union, Ecowas, the EU, and the UN, has strongly condemned the coup. Notably, the leader of the Russian Wagner mercenary group has praised the coup, hailing it as a success.

“What happened in Niger is nothing other than the struggle of the people of Niger with their colonisers,” Yevgeny Prigozhin was quoted as saying on a Wagner-affiliated Telegram channel.