Niger's ousted leader appealed to the US and the entire International Community for Help

Niger's ousted leader called on the US and "the entire international community" to help "restore ... constitutional order" after last week's coup, the BBC reported.

In an op-ed in the Washington Post, President Mohamed Bazoum said he was writing "as a hostage."

After his ouster, unrest broke out in the West African country.

On Thursday, the coup leaders announced they were withdrawing the country's ambassadors from France, the United States, Nigeria and Togo. In a statement read on national television, they said the functions of the four ambassadors had been "terminated".

Just hours earlier, Niger's ambassador to the United States, Chiari Liman-Tinguiri, told Agence France-Presse that the junta "must come to its senses" and "realize that this matter cannot end successfully." Niger is an important producer of uranium - a fuel of great importance for nuclear power - and lies on a key migration route to North Africa and the Mediterranean. In the article, Bazoum warned that the coup, if successful, would have "devastating consequences for our country, our region and the whole world".

"Fighting for our shared values, including democratic pluralism and respect for the rule of law, is the only way to make sustainable progress against poverty and terrorism," Bazoum wrote.

"The Nigerien people will never forget your support at this pivotal moment in our history."

Bazoum also warned of the coup leaders' ties to the Russian Wagner mercenary group, which operates elsewhere in the region and is seen by many as exerting malign influence in Niger.

"The entire central Sahel region could come under the influence of Russia through the Wagner group, whose brutal terrorism was fully seen in Ukraine," Bazoum wrote.

Many supporters of the coup in Niger chant pro-Russian slogans and wear the colors of the Russian flag.

On Thursday, thousands of people took to the streets of Niger's capital, Niamey, in a peaceful demonstration supporting the coup and criticizing other West African countries for imposing financial and trade sanctions on Niger.

According to the US, there is no indication that Wagner was involved in Bazoum's ouster, but the Wagner leader reportedly described the coup as a triumph.

Earlier this week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to Bazoum by phone, after which the US said it was committed to restoring Niger's democratically elected government.

Bazoum, the first democratically elected president to succeed another in Niger, was detained by his own bodyguards last week. The leader of the coup, General Abdourahamane Tiani, was appointed head of state.

Niger is a key part of the African region known as the Sahel, plagued by jihadists and military regimes. In recent years, the country has been seen as an example of relative stability, while its neighbors Mali and Burkina Faso have seen military coups.

Niger has French and American military bases and is considered a key partner in the fight against Islamist insurgents.

President Bazoum's government has been a partner of European countries trying to stem the flow of migrants across the Mediterranean, agreeing to take back hundreds of migrants from detention centers in Libya. It also fights human traffickers.

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