Junta claims they have control of Niger after coup

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.

Former colonial ruler France and the African Union both condemned Thursday’s coup, when armed soldiers stormed the presidential palace in a hail of gunfire during broad daylight and kidnapped the country’s strongman leader. The whereabouts of President Mamadou Tandja remained unknown Friday.

In a statement, the junta calling itself the Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy said it was being led by Salou Djibo, a commander of a platoon based near the capital.