Mohamed Bazoum, Niger Republic’s erstwhile head of state, has made a short statement after a military coup ousted him on Wednesday.

Bazoum sent a two-sentence statement to the world via his social media accounts on Thursday morning.

“The hard-won achievements will be safeguarded. All Nigeriens who love democracy and freedom will see to it,” he tweeted.

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Bazoum’s defiant message comes after a group of Nigeriene soldiers placed him on house arrest and subsequently removed him from office.

They had said that they wanted to “put an end to the regime that you know due to the deteriorating security situation and bad governance”.

The coup has since been condemned by the United Nations (UN).

“I condemn in the strongest terms any effort to seize power by force and to undermine democratic governance, peace & stability in Niger. The UN stands by the Government and the people of Niger,” António Guterres, UN’s Secretary General, stated on Wednesday.

Bola Tinubu, Nigeria’s president and ECOWAS chairman, said that West African countries stood firmly with the elected government in Niger.

“The ECOWAS leadership will not accept any action that impedes the smooth functioning of legitimate authority in Niger or any part of West Africa,” Tinubu said in a statement on Wednesday.

“We will do everything within our powers to ensure democracy is firmly planted, nurtured, well rooted and thrives in our region. I am in close consultation with other leaders in our region, and we shall protect our hard-earned democracy in line with the universally acceptable principle of constitutionalism.”

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Antony Blinken, the United States’ Secretary of State, said that he spoke to Bazoum on Wednesday. “I conveyed our support for the democratically elected President of Niger,” Blinken said in a short statement.

“The US condemns efforts to subvert Niger’s constitutional order by force, and underscores that our partnership depends on the continuation of democratic governance.”

Niger Republic shares land borders with some northern Nigerian states. Both countries have shared the burden of growing insecurity for decades.

The Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Boko Haram have crossed land borders between Nigeria and Niger to commit terrorist acts.