Niger's ousted leader appealed to the US and the entire International Community for Help

Niger's ousted leader called on the US and "the entire international community" to help "restore ... constitutional order" after last week's coup, the BBC reported.

In an op-ed in the Washington Post, President Mohamed Bazoum said he was writing "as a hostage."

After his ouster, unrest broke out in the West African country.

On Thursday, the coup leaders announced they were withdrawing the country's ambassadors from France, the United States, Nigeria and Togo. In a statement read on national television, they said the functions of the four ambassadors had been "terminated".

Just hours earlier, Niger's ambassador to the United States, Chiari Liman-Tinguiri, told Agence France-Presse that the junta "must come to its senses" and "realize that this matter cannot end successfully." Niger is an important producer of uranium - a fuel of great importance for nuclear power - and lies on a key migration route to North Africa and the Mediterranean. In the article, Bazoum warned that the coup, if successful, would have "devastating consequences for our country, our region and the whole world".

"Fighting for our shared values, including democratic pluralism and respect for the rule of law, is the only way to make sustainable progress against poverty and terrorism," Bazoum wrote.

"The Nigerien people will never forget your support at this pivotal moment in our history."

Bazoum also warned of the coup leaders' ties to the Russian Wagner mercenary group, which operates elsewhere in the region and is seen by many as exerting malign influence in Niger.

"The entire central Sahel region could come under the influence of Russia through the Wagner...