A series of loud explosions and bursts of automatic gunfire were heard in Niger's capital Niamey on Thursday. Unconfirmed reports suggest an attempted coup is taking place. Tensions have been high in the country ever since President Mamadou Tandja pushed through a constitutional reform that allowed him to stay in office after his term expired in December.

RFI correspondent Lydia Addo says she tried to go to the main mortuary in the city but she was stopped by troops. She had been told that a number of dead soldiers had been brought there.

She says that by about 3.45 GMT the situation in the city had calmed but was still very tense.

Anonymous intelligence officials have told news agencies that they believe an attempted coup is underway.

Witnesses said shooting began at about 12pm GMT and appeared to be centred on the presidential palace. Smoke was seen coming from the palace and soldiers were deployed around it.

State radio carried no information on the events and instead played traditional music, while France has asked its nationals living in the country to stay indoors.

Tandja has been in power for over a decade and extended his term thanks to a controversial referendum last August.

The 71-year-old dissolved the parliament and the constitutional court to do so and he then staged parliamentary elections in October.

The Nigerien President’s actions have drawn widespread criticism and led to international sanctions. West African regional bloc Ecowas suspended Niger’s membership while the European Union and the United States also imposed sanctions.

At an Ecowas meeting in Abuja, Nigeria on Tuesday, leaders urged everyone involved in the interim administration not to put themselves up as candidates in the next elections. Talks aimed at ending the stand off were suspended last week.