Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum on Thursday defiantly vowed to protect “hard-won” democratic gains after he was detained by elite troops who declared they had taken power in the troubled West African nation.

Bazoum was confined in Niamey on Wednesday by members of his presidential guard, who hours later announced that “all institutions” in the country would be suspended, the borders closed and a night-time curfew imposed.

Amid fierce condemnation from African and international organisations and Niger’s Western allies, Bazoum has stood his ground.

“The hard-won gains will be safeguarded,” Bazoum said on Twitter, which is being rebranded as ‘X’.

“All Nigeriens who love democracy and freedom would want this”.

Niger Foreign Minister Hassoumi Massoudou said the country’s “legal and legitimate power” was the one exercised by its elected president.

He told the France24 TV channel that Bazoum was “in good health”.

There had been a “coup bid” but “the whole of the army was not involved,” he stressed.

“We ask all the fractious soldiers to return to their ranks,” he said. “Everything can be achieved through dialogue but the institutions of the republic must function.”

The president of neighbouring Benin, Patrice Talon, was heading to Niamey Thursday for mediation efforts, the head of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) said.

– Coup-prone –

The landlocked Sahel state is one of the poorest and most unstable countries in the world.

It has experienced four coups since gaining independence from France in 1960, as well as numerous other attempts — including two previously against Bazoum.

Bazoum, 63, is one of a dwindling group of pro-Western leaders in the Sahel, where a rampaging jihadist insurgency has triggered coups against elected presidents in Mali and Burkina Faso.

Their juntas, taking a nationalist stance, have forced out French troops and in the case of Mali have woven a close alliance with Russia.

Disgruntled members of the elite Presidential Guard sealed off access to the president’s residence and offices in the capital Niamey on Wednesday morning, and after talks broke down “refused to release the president,” a presidential source said.

Bazoum’s supporters hours later tried to approach the official complex, but were dispersed by members of the Presidential Guard who fired warning shots, an AFP reporter saw.

One person was hurt, but it was not immediately clear if he was injured by a bullet or from falling as the crowd scattered.

The coup leaders appeared on television overnight, declaring they were suspending “all institutions” and imposing other measures “until further notice.”

“We, the defence and security forces… have decided to put an end to the regime” of President Bazoum, said their leader, Colonel-Major Amadou Abdramane, flanked by nine other uniformed soldiers.

“This follows the continued deterioration of the security situation, poor economic and social governance.”

– Condemnation –

The parties of Niger’s ruling coalition in Niamey denounced “a suicidal and anti-republican madness,” and condemnation poured in from regional and global leaders.

ECOWAS and the African Union each lashed what they called an “attempted coup d’etat”.

The West African bloc called for Bazoum’s immediate and unconditional release and warned all those involved would be held responsible for his safety.

The European Union said it “associates itself” with the ECOWAS statement and attacked “any attempt to destabilise democracy and threaten the stability” of Niger.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he had spoken to Bazoum to offer Washington’s support, while UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he “strongly condemns the unconstitutional change in government” in Niger.

– Poverty and jihadism –

Bazoum took office after elections two years ago, in Niger’s first-ever peaceful transition since independence.

He was a former interior minister and right-hand man to former president Mahamadou Issoufou, who voluntarily stepped down after two terms.

But an attempted coup took place just days before Bazoum’s inauguration, according to a security source at the time.

Several people were arrested, including the suspected ringleader. Five people were jailed in February for 20 years.

A second bid to oust Bazoum occurred last March “while the president… was in Turkey”, according to a Niger official, who said an arrest was made. The authorities have never commented publicly on the incident.

The nation of 22 million is two-thirds desert and frequently ranks at the bottom of the UN’s Human Development Index, a benchmark of prosperity.

Niger is also struggling with two jihadist campaigns — one in the southwest, which swept in from Mali in 2015, and the other in the southeast, involving jihadists from northeastern Nigeria.

Hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes, stoking a humanitarian crisis and further straining the economy.

Snazzy new liveries have been revealed for two of NASA’s hottest aircraft projects. These upcoming planes want to be the next generation of sustainable flight – and also to look good when doing it.

First there’s the X-66A, which NASA has been cooking up along with Boeing as part of its Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project. The US aerospace behemoths want to build, test and fly an emission-reducing, single-aisle aircraft before the decade is out. The X-66A is the full-scale demonstrator on which they’ll be doing all that.

“It’s our goal that NASA’s partnership with Boeing to produce and test a full-scale demonstrator will help lead to future commercial airliners that are more fuel efficient, with benefits to the environment, the commercial aviation industry, and to passengers worldwide, “ said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson in a statement in January. “If we are successful, we may see these technologies in planes that the public takes to the skies in the 2030s.”

The design that NASA and Boeing are working on could reduce fuel consumption and emissions by up to 30% compared with today’s most efficient aircraft, according to the agency.

It’s called the Transonic Truss-Braced Wing concept, which relies on elongated, thin wings stabilized by diagonal struts that connect the wings to the aircraft. The design’s shape creates less drag, which means burning less fuel.

The new livery was unveiled at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh and features a white body with a blue, orange and red striped tail.

‘An experimental aircraft’

“This is an experimental aircraft,” Bob Pearce, NASA associate administrator for the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, said in January.  “This is not a commercial development of an aircraft that passengers are going to fly in today. And the reason we need to do this is because this is high-risk technology. We’re trying to validate technology.”

The first test flight of this full-scale demonstrator is set to take place in 2028. NASA hopes that one day the technology should serve about half of the commercial market through short- to medium-haul single-aisle aircraft.

Airlines largely rely on single-aisle aircraft, which account for nearly half of aviation emissions worldwide, according to NASA. Boeing estimates that the demand for the new single-aisle aircraft will increase by 40,000 planes between 2035 and 2050.

The goal is for the technology to serve about 50% of the commercial market through short- to medium-haul, single-aisle aircraft, Nelson said.

The other planes to get a new look are the hybrid electric aircraft that GE Aerospace and magniX are developing as part of NASA’s Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration (EFPD) project.

The project’s goal is to enable a new generation of electric-powered aircraft. NASA is collaborating with industry partners on new technologies including lighter and more efficient motors, electronics and materials that can help improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions.

More flight testing to come

These technologies will be tested and demonstrated in modified existing aircraft.

A souped-up Saab 340B, with white and blue livery, with be used for ground and test flights on a megawatt-class hybrid electric powertrain being developed by GE Aerospace. (A powertrain, for the uninitiated, is the system that brings together all the components to drive a vehicle forward). NASA says the flights will take place by the middle of this decade.

A modified DeHavilland “Dash 7” aircraft, with red and white livery, is home to magniX’s hybrid powertrain, and it’s partnering with AeroTEC and Air Tindi on test flights.

It’s hoped the project eventually will benefit short-haul turboprop aircraft – the type that carry between 30 and 70 passengers – as well as regional, single-aisle commercial airliners carrying up to 180 passengers.

NASA says it plans to conduct at least two flight demonstrations within the next five years so the new technologies can be introduced commercially in the United States between 2030 and 2035.

Soldiers claim to have overthrown Niger’s government following an apparent coup in the West African nation on Wednesday when members of the Presidential Guard detained President Mohamed Bazoum.

Members of the elite guard sealed off access to the president’s residence and offices in the capital Niamey, and after talks broke down, “refused to release” him, a presidential source said.

The soldiers said “all institutions” in the country would be suspended, borders were closed and a curfew imposed “until further notice” from 10 pm to 5 am.

“We, the defence and security forces… have decided to put an end to the regime” of President Bazoum, Colonel-Major Amadou Abdramane said in a televised address late Wednesday.

“This follows the continued deterioration of the security situation, poor economic and social governance,” he added, surrounded by nine other uniformed soldiers.

Regional and global leaders have called for the release of Bazoum, who entered office two years ago in Niger’s first peaceful transition of power since independence from France in 1960.

The president of neighbouring Benin, Patrice Talon, will head to Niamey for mediation efforts, the head of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) said.

One of a dwindling group of pro-Western leaders in the Sahel, Bazoum was elected in April 2021, taking the helm of a country burdened by poverty and jihadist insurgencies.

In a message on Twitter, which is being rebranded as X, the president’s office said “elements of the Presidential Guard (PG) had a fit of temper… (and) tried unsuccessfully to gain the support of the national armed forces and the national guard”.

“The army and national guard are ready to attack the elements of the PG who are involved in this fit of temper if they do not return to a better disposition,” the presidency said.

“The president and his family are well,” it added.

Hours after his detention, Bazoum’s supporters had tried to approach the official complex, but were dispersed by members of the Presidential Guard who fired warning shots, an AFP reporter saw.

One person was hurt, but it was not immediately clear if he was injured by a bullet or from falling as the crowd scattered.

The parties of Niger’s ruling coalition in Niamey denounced “a suicidal and anti-republican madness” in a statement, saying that “certain elements of the presidential guard sequestered the President” and his family, as well as the interior minister.

Condemnation also poured in from beyond the nation’s borders.

ECOWAS and the African Union both decried what they called an “attempted coup d’etat”.

ECOWAS called for Bazoum’s immediate and unconditional release and warned all those involved would be held responsible for his safety.

The European Union said it “associates itself” with the ECOWAS statement and attacked “any attempt to destabilise democracy and threaten the stability” of Niger.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he had spoken to Bazoum to offer Washington’s support, while UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he “strongly condemns the unconstitutional change in government” in Niger.

The foreign minister of Niger’s former colonial power France, Catherine Colonna, condemned “all attempts to take power by force”.

President Talon was expected to arrive in Niamey on Thursday, after a meeting in Abuja on Wednesday with Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Tinubu said Talon would mediate with both the Presidential Guard and Bazoum, with a view to finding an agreement.

– Coup-prone –

The landlocked Sahel state has experienced four coups since its 1960 independence, and numerous other attempts.

Bazoum, a former interior minister, was the right-hand man to former president Mahamadou Issoufou, who voluntarily stepped down after two terms.

An attempted coup took place just days before Bazoum’s inauguration, according to a security source at the time.

Several people were arrested, including the suspected ringleader. Five people were jailed in February for 20 years.

A second bid to oust Bazoum occurred last March “while the president… was in Turkey”, according to a Niger official, who said an arrest was made. The authorities have never commented publicly on the incident.

– Poverty and jihadism –

The nation of 22 million is two-thirds desert and frequently ranks at the bottom of the UN’s Human Development Index, a benchmark of prosperity.

Niger is struggling with two jihadist campaigns — one in the southwest, which swept in from Mali in 2015, and the other in the southeast, involving jihadists from northeastern Nigeria.

Hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes, stoking a humanitarian crisis and further straining the economy.

The poorly equipped military is receiving training and logistical support from the United States and France, which have bases there.

The Russian president will on Thursday host leaders of African countries for a summit in his native Saint Petersburg, as the continent braces for the consequences of Moscow’s withdrawal from the Ukraine grain export deal.

Isolated on the international scene since launching a full-scale military intervention in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin still has support in several African countries.

“It is important that in recent years our cooperation with Africa has reached a new level. We intend to further develop it,” Putin said in a welcome letter to participants of the summit.

Seventeen African leaders including South African President Cyril Ramaphosa are expected at the Russia-Africa summit set to take place on Thursday and Friday.

The Kremlin has accused Western countries of trying to prevent African states from participating in the summit.

The summit is the second of its kind after an inaugural one held in 2019 in Sochi, southern Russia.

Putin is expected to conduct bilateral talks with his counterparts on the sidelines and will deliver an address at the plenary session.

In the speech he will discuss his vision of Russia-Africa ties and the “formation of a new world order”, according to Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov.

The end of a deal that has allowed Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea to global markets, including Africa, is expected to dominate the agenda.

Over a year, the deal allowed around 33 million tonnes of grain to leave Ukrainian ports, helping to stabilise global food prices and avert shortages.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pressed African leaders attending the summit to demand answers about the grain disruptions that have propelled poorer nations towards crisis.

“They know exactly who’s to blame for this current situation,” Blinken said of the leaders.

“My expectation would be that Russia will hear this clearly from our African partners,” he said Thursday during a visit to New Zealand.

– ‘Find common ground’ –

Moscow has sought to reassure African partners, saying it understands their “concern” on the issue and is ready to export grain for free to African countries that need it.

Putin will also discuss Ukraine during a working lunch with a group of African heads of state on Friday, the Kremlin has said.

The summit will be an opportunity to exchange views on key issues, according to Vsevolod Sviridov of the Centre for African Studies at HSE University.

Since the coronavirus pandemic and the launch of the military offensive in Ukraine, “the framework in which Russia and Africa interact has seriously changed”, Sviridov told AFP.

“It is necessary to find common ground, to explain to each other positions on topical issues, for example, the grain deal,” he added.

Putin has already held talks Wednesday with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, praising their joint energy projects.

Representatives of African states continued to arrive in the former imperial capital ahead of the summit, including delegations from Mozambique and Libya, Russian state news agency TASS said Thursday.

Since the start of the Ukraine offensive, Russia has sought to strengthen diplomatic and security ties with Africa.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has been on two tours of the continent so far this year, trying to win over leaders to Moscow’s side by emphasising Russia’s stand against Western “imperialism”.

Russia’s Wagner mercenary group has been a major player in the security sphere in Africa but its failed mutiny against Russia’s military leadership last month has cast doubt on the future of the group’s operations on the continent.

The summit in Saint Petersburg comes a month ahead of a summit of leaders of the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) due to take place in Johannesburg.

South Africa has said that Putin, who is the subject of an international arrest warrant for his actions in Ukraine, will not be attending in person.