Switzerland has joined an international chorus of outrage at a military coup in Niger that has toppled and held captive the African state’s President.
President Mohamed Bazoum is regarded as a key ally in the region in the fight against Islamic extremism.
The military junta, led by the Presidential Guard, seized Bazoum on Wednesday and have claimed power over the country during the coup.
“Switzerland condemns the attempt to seize power by part of the army underway in Niger,” read a Swiss Foreign Ministry tweet on Thursday.
“Switzerland demands the immediate release of the democratically elected President as well as the return to constitutional order and calls for dialogue.”
The United States and the European Union have also made similar demands.