Biden calls for immediate release of Niger's Bazoum

US President Joe Biden called on Thursday for the immediate release of Niger's elected President Mohamed Bazoum.

"I call for President Bazoum and his family to be immediately released, and for the preservation of Niger's hard-earned democracy," Biden said in a statement Thursday, the 63rd anniversary of Niger's independence.

Bazoum, 63, was ousted a week ago by his own guard in a coup condemned by the United States, European nations and the United Nations.

Bazoum was feted in 2021 after winning elections that ushered in Niger's first peaceful transition of power.

He took the helm of a country burdened by four previous coups since independence from France in 1960.

The clock is ticking on a demand made Sunday by West African regional bloc ECOWAS for the coup leaders to restore Bazoum to power within a week or face the possible "last resort" of military intervention.