Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou appeared on national television yesterday — three months before elections are set to take place in the country — to reveal that an attempted coup failed and suspects related to the coup were arrested.
"The government has just foiled an evil attempt at destabilisation," he said, according to the BBC. "The objective of these individuals, motivated by I don't know what, was to overthrow the democratically elected power."
Four senior officers in the country's air force were arrested Tuesday, reported Reuters, including the former military chief of staff, General Souleymane Salou, and head of the the air force base in Niamey, Lieutenant-Colonel Dan Haoua.
"It's said they are suspected of wanting to carry out subversive activities, but nothing is clear for the moment," said a relative of Salou.
While not without precedent, following three coups in the county since 1996, one in Niger would have been a major setback for Western powers and the ongoing war on terrorism, reported the Wall Street Journal. The Saharan country not only serves as a base for French special forces and American drones, but it also lies between Libya and Nigeria, two African countries with high levels of terrorist activity.
Issoufou, elected in 2011 following a coup one year before, is a favorite to win the election set for Feb. 21.
