WELLINGTON, July 27, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for the "immediate release" of Niger's leader Mohamed Bazoum on Thursday, as soldiers surrounded the presidential palace in Niamey and claimed to have taken power.

"I spoke with President Bazoum earlier this morning and made clear that the United States resolutely supports him as the democratically elected president of Niger. We call for his immediate release," Blinken said on a visit to New Zealand.

"We condemn any efforts to seize power by force. We're actively engaged with the Niger government, but also with partners in the region and around the world, and will continue to do so until the situation is resolved appropriately and peacefully."

Blinken refused to be drawn on whether the military revolt was a coup, a designation that could forestall US cooperation with Nigerian authorities, including on counterinsurgency and counterterrorism.

"Whether this constitutes a coup technically or not I can't say, that's for the lawyers to say. But what it clearly constitutes is an effort to seize power by force and to disrupt the constitution," he said.

Blinken added that the United States was warning citizens in Niger "limit any unnecessary movements".

Earlier, Blinken warned soldiers who claimed to have overthrown the Niger government that US economic aid to the country was contingent on "democratic governance".

Disgruntled members of the elite Presidential Guard sealed off access to the president's residence earlier and claimed to have "put an end to the regime".

Bazoum, democratically elected and in power since April 2021, had been detained since Wednesday morning by members of the Presidential Guard after the failure of talks, the subjects of which remain unclear.