United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called for the immediate and unconditional release of Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum, who remains detained by defense and security forces. “The United Nations strongly condemns the assault against the democratically elected government and supports the efforts of ECOWAS and the African Union to restore democracy,” Guterres said. Niger's army command on Thursday declared its support of the apparent coup carried out Wednesday, saying its priority was to avoid destabilizing the country.