Heavily armed soldiers took over the Niger capital, Niamey, soon after the assassination yesterday of the president, Gen Ibrahim Bare Mainassara. The Prime Minister, Mr Ibrahim Hassane Mayaki, said the death was the result of an "unfortunate accident".
Gen Mainassara, a career soldier, was assassinated at a military base at around 10.30 a.m., possibly by men of the presidential guard.
Witnesses said armoured vehicles were deployed in the capital, of the west African country, notably outside official buildings, Radio France Internationale reported. Troops of the presidential guard sealed off the President's residence and areas round the defence and interior ministries, witnesses told the French public service radio.
Gen Mainassara died amid political turmoil over contested elections, and it was thought he could have been trying to board a plane for his home village of Maradi, 550 km east of Niamey.
The civilian airport was closed down yesterday, with aircraft being sent to neighbouring West African countries.
Telephone links to the impoverished Sahel nation in former French-ruled West Africa, with a population of seven million, were cut off from around midday, while national radio stopped broadcasting in the morning and its headquarters was closed, RFI said.
The radio had put out a government call for calm after the opposition urged demonstrations to protest against the annulment of the results from many constituencies in local government polls held on February 7th.
Gen Mainassara had seized power in a putsch in January 1996, and was elected head of state later that year in a poll challenged by opposition parties, who went on to boycott general elections the following November.