Economics
Niger Arrests Officers Plotting Coup Ahead of 2016 Election
- Senior military officials had worked on plan for weeks
- Accused wanted to use air force to seize power: president
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Niger arrested senior military officers planning to use the nation’s air force to topple the government ahead of February’s presidential election, President Mahamadou Issoufou said.
The officers had been plotting for weeks, Issoufou, 63, said Thursday in a speech broadcast on state television. The president is seeking re-election next year, with the first round of voting scheduled for Feb. 21. Niger is the world’s fourth-largest producer of uranium, the material used to fuel nuclear power plants, and pumps crude oil.