Gunfire has erupted in Niger's capital near the presidential palace, prompting fears of a coup attempt and further instability just days before the country's new president is due to be sworn into office.
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The shooting began about 3am on Wednesday and went on for more than 15 minutes, residents of Niamey said, but calm returned to the city afterward.
The US embassy in Niamey put out a security alert saying it would be closed on Wednesday "due to gunshots heard near our neighbourhood".
The gunfire comes just two days before new President Mohamed Bazoum's inauguration on Friday and as Niger faces a growing threat from Islamic extremists near its troubled border with Mali.
Just more than a week ago, gunmen on motorcycles attacked a series of villages in the volatile border region, leaving at least 137 people dead in the deadliest violence to strike Niger in recent memory.
Those attacks came on the same day that the constitutional court certified Bazoum's electoral victory.
In January, at least 100 people were killed in villages, the same day that Niger announced the presidential election would go to a second round on February 21.
Australian Associated Press
