NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Niger’s government says that an attempted military coup was thwarted overnight at the presidential palace by security forces. The official government statement comes nearly 12 hours after gunfire erupted at 3 a.m. local time near the palace in Niamey, the capital. The coup attempt took place just two days before President Mohamed Bazoum’s inauguration, raising fears of more violence in the coming days. The West African country faces unprecedented attacks from Islamic extremists in the troubled region near the border with Mali.
