Niger's government said on Wednesday an "attempted coup" by soldiers had targeted the country's democracy two days before President Mohamed Bazoum's inauguration.
"On the night of March 30-31, an attempted coup was thwarted," it said in a statement, condemning "this cowardly and regressive act which sought to threaten democracy and the state of law."
A security source said earlier that elite troops had prevented a group of soldiers overnight from reaching the presidential palace in the capital Niamey, and local residents reported gunfire.
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