they said they had dissolved the country s constitution, suspended all institutions and have temporarily closed the nation s borders. niger 5 president mohamed bazoum has is being held by the presidential guard. the man leading the coup is col maj amadou abdramane. translation: this day, - july 23rd 2023, we, the defence and security forces, meeting within the national council for the safeguard of the homeland, have decided to put an end to the regime you know. this follows the continuing deterioration of the security situation, and poor economic and social governance. mr bazoum s whereabouts are yet unclear but in a statement on twitter on thursday morning he said the hard won gains will be safeguarded and that nigeriens who love democracy will see to it. the president continues to be supported by the white house, who have expressed their concerns. we have watched this with deep concern, peter. we certainly condemn any effort to detain or to subvert the functioning of niger s democr