Originally posted by Wikinews. Wikinews content appears under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 license except where specified. As these articles are static snapshots of news items that may be later updated, they may not represent the latest or final revision of that article, and posted information may be only preliminary. Niger coup ousts president ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- February 19, 2010 Original URL: http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Niger_coup_ousts_president The president of Niger, Tandja Mamadou, has been captured and imprisoned by a group of Nigerian soldiers under the name of "Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy" after an attack on the presidential palace late Thursday. from 2007. The Nigerian embassy in London has issued a statement saying that both the president and ministers in his company were "safe and well," although officials said that the company was most likely imprisoned in military barracks outside of Niamy. According to an announcement by the representative of the group responsible for the coup, a Nigerian Army colonel, the country's constitution has been suspended and all government institutions have been dissolved. It is not clear who the leader of the coup is, although several military sources said that Major Adamou Harouna of the Nigerian Army was responsible. The coup apparently took place during a cabinet meeting in the capitol building, and was preceded by a several-hour long gun battle in the capital, Niamy. The battle began at about 13:00 local time (12:00 UTC), ending about four hours later, with both foot soldiers and tanks involved, although no significant deployment of the military was reported. The battle led to at least three deaths of military personnel, and civilian injuries have been reported as well. Additionally, a curfew has been imposed, and the military has closed Niger's borders. Despite the crisis, the government has yet to release an official statement as to its status. The coup came after an extended political crisis in which President Tandja has dissolved both the National Assembly and Niger's High Court, as well as extending his presidential term by three years, and removing all further limits on his term. These actions have led to increasing pressure against him and the government, culminating with a thousands-strong demonstration against the government last week. ==Sources== * http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/02/18/niger.coup/index.html?hpt=T2 * http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8523196.stm * http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/19/world/africa/19niger.html?hp * http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE61H0U120100218?sp=true .