Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks during a meeting with foreign ministers of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) confederation in Moscow, Russia, 03 April 2025. The ministers of the Alliance, including Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, which withdrew from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in late January 2025, visited Moscow seeking to strengthen ties with Russia. EPA/PAVEL BEDNYAKOV/ POOL
A group of army officers said earlier on Wednesday they had seized power in the coup-prone West African nation, a day before the planned announcement of results from a hotly contested presidential election.
"It's regrettable that this (coup) announcement came at a time when the missions had just concluded meeting with the two leading presidential candidates, who assured us of their willingness to accept the will of the people," the observers said.
The observer missions that included Mozambique's former President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi and Nigeria's former President Goodluck Jonathan, called on the regional bodies to take the necessary steps to restore constitutional order.
"We urge the armed forces to immediately release the detained officials to allow the country's electoral process to proceed to its conclusion," the statement from the Economic Community of West African States and African Union observers said.
(Reporting by Bate Felix; Writing by Ayen Deng Bior; Editing by Bill Berkrot)