Voting has begun in presidential and parliamentary elections in Niger meant to return the country to a civilian government after a military coup last February.

A JUNTA that seized power in a coup in the west African nation of Niger named a platoon commander as its leader, hours after soldiers announced on state TV their group was in charge of the uranium-rich country.

The soldiers who seized power in Niger named an army colonel as their leader today hours after announcing on state TV that they were in charge of the country.

Renegade soldiers in armoured vehicles stormed Niger’s presidential palace with a hail of gunfire in broad daylight, kidnapping the country’s strongman president then appearing on state television to declare a successful coup.

A spokesman for a group of mutinous soldiers in Niger said on state TV that a coup d’etat had occurred, adding that the African country’s constitution had been suspended and its republican institutions have been dissolved.