French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna has insisted that a coup in Niger was not yet "final" and expressed hope that plotters who have detained the president would heed international calls for a return to democratic rule.
"If you hear me talking about an attempted coup, it's because we don't consider things final, there is still a way out if those responsible listen to the international community," Colonna said on Friday.
France, a key ally which has 1,500 soldiers in Niger, previously called for "the restoration of the integrity of Nigerien democratic institutions," AFP news agency reports.
Niger's armed forces chief General Abdou Sidikou Issa has swung his weight behind the coup plotters.
But there has been growing international pressure on the soldiers in Niger to abandon the coup attempt and allow democratic structures to function.
UN takes action
The United States says it supports the United Nations Security Council's taking action to de-escalate the situation in Niger, a spokesperson for the United States' UN mission said on Thursday, Reuters news agency reports.
US Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield spoke to Niger's president, Mohamed Bazoum, on Thursday, according to a U.S. readout.
"She ... conveyed that the United States is steadfast in its support for Niger’s democracy and supports taking action at the UN Security Council to de-escalate the situation, prevent harm to civilians, and ensure constitutional order," a spokesperson said.
There has been an uneasy calm in the West African country since Wednesday when some members of the Presidential Guard turned against President Bazoum blockading his office and detaining him.
On Thursday, some protesters went on rampage setting scores of vehicles ablaze at the ruling party's headquarters in the capital Niamey.
