[16] The coup was condemned by the United States and France, and by the West African regional bloc ECOWAS, the latter of which threatened military intervention against the junta, leading to the 2023–2024 Nigerien crisis.

Bola Tinubu, President of Nigeria, was appointed Chairman of ECOWAS on 9 July 2023 and warned that they will not allow another coup in the region and would take up these issues with the African Union and Western countries.

[20] Analysts cite the rising cost of living and perceptions of government "incompetence", as well as Bazoum's plans to replace the head of the presidential guard, General Abdourahmane Tchiani as possible triggers for the coup.

[27][28] At the same time, along with anti-French sentiment, a current of thought favorable to the entry of Russian influence and the Wagner Group mercenary company began to grow.

[29] Early in the morning, the Nigerien presidency's Twitter account announced that presidential guards,[19] commanded by General Abdourahamane Tchiani[30][b] engaged in an "anti-Republican demonstration" and tried "in vain" to obtain the support of the other security forces.

In the evening, Air Force[38] Colonel-Major[39] Amadou Abdramane went on state television channel Télé Sahel to claim that Bazoum had been removed from power and announced the formation of a National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland.

[42] His foreign minister, Hassoumi Massaoudou, told France 24 that the country's "legal and legitimate power" remained with the President and reiterated that Bazoum was in good condition and that not the entire army was involved.

[42] Despite being detained, Bazoum has not resigned and has been able to get in contact with world leaders and officials such as French President Emmanuel Macron,[45] UN Secretary-General António Guterres,[46] AU Commissioner Moussa Faki,[47] and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

[50][51] The leadership of the Niger Armed Forces issued a statement signed by the army chief of staff, General Abdou Sidikou Issa, declaring its support for the coup.

The statement mentioned the need to "preserve the physical integrity" of the President and his family and avoid "a deadly confrontation that could create a bloodbath and affect the security of the population.

He also criticized the government's security strategy for its purported ineffectiveness and lack of collaboration with Mali and Burkina Faso but did not give a timeline for a return to civilian rule.

His position as de facto concurrent head of state was later confirmed by Colonel Abdramane, who accused officials of Bazoum's government of plotting against the new regime while sheltering in foreign embassies and warned of bloodshed if they pushed through.

[63] On 12 August, a delegation from the putschists, led by General Moussa Salaou Barmou, visited Conakry to ask Guinea for support, and was received by the head of the Guinean junta, Mamadi Doumbouya.

[67] The junta gradually reopened Niger's borders, starting with crossings to Algeria, Burkina Faso, Mali, Libya, and Chad on 1 August,[68] followed by its airspace on 4 September.

[69] On 24 September, French President Emmanuel Macron announced France was pulling its troops as well as diplomatic staff, including its ambassador Sylvain Itté, from Niger by the end of 2023.

[34] Bazoum's Prime Minister, Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou, who was in Europe at the time of the coup,[71] also expressed his support for the President and welcomed the imposition of sanctions by ECOWAS on the military junta as "very satisfactory and logical", while insisting that anti-French demonstrations in Niamey did not represent the Nigerien people as a whole.

[79] On 30 July, ECOWAS gave Niger's coup leaders a one-week deadline[80] to hand power back to Bazoum or to face international sanctions and/or use of force.

A series of sanctions was also announced, including the suspension of all commercial and financial transactions between its member states and Niger and the freezing of assets and travel restrictions for military personnel involved in the coup.

[86] On 18 August, ECOWAS said it had agreed an undisclosed "D-Day" for a possible military intervention to restore democracy in Niger if diplomatic efforts fail, stressing that it would not hold endless dialogue with the junta.

[92] The Chinese foreign ministry expressed support for Bazoum and called for a diplomatic resolution to the crisis but did not directly condemn the coup or refer to the event as one.

[96] Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Russian private mercenary Wagner Group that has operated in neighboring Mali and supplanted France in combating the country's own jihadist insurgency, praised the coup and called it part of Niger's fight against its "colonizers.

[32] Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel program at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, said the coup was a "nightmare" for the West, which counted on Bazoum and Niger as its "new security anchor" in the region.

[38] Flavien Baumgartner, an Africa analyst at the security and political risk consultancy Dragonfly, said that Bazoum's removal could lead to the Wagner Group expanding into Niger, given that the country is an important producer of uranium.