PARIS, July 28. /TASS/. General Abdourahamane Tchiani has declared himself head of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland created in Niger.

Tchiani, who, according to Agence France-Presse, used to head the presidential guard, said in a TV address that soldiers had seized power "due to the deteriorating security situation in the country."

According to Tchiani, under President Mohamed Bazoum, everything was said to be fine in the country, while in fact, a lot of people had died or become refugees. AFP reports that the ousted president is being held in a residence at the presidential guard’s military base.

Mutinous soldiers in Niger announced late on July 26 that they had removed President Mohamed Bazoum from power, closed the country’s borders and suspended the Constitution. They set up the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland, which assumed all powers of government. In a statement broadcast on national television, the mutineers promised to guarantee the personal safety of former government officials.