Nine suspected coup plotters in Niger have been jailed for between five and 15 years by a court in the capital, Niamey.
The soldiers were convicted of attempting to overthrow President Mahamadou Issoufou two years ago.
In December 2015, the government said it had foiled a coup and arrested people planning to use aerial firepower to seize control of the country.
In the judgment read out by Judge Ibrahim Daoudika, the suspected mastermind of the coup, General Salou Souleymane, got 15 years, as did two others.
Six co-conspirators also received sentences ranging from five to 10 years, and another three accused were acquitted.
Issoufou was elected in 2011, one year after a coup. He was re-elected in February 2016 with 92.5 percent of the vote, after the opposition coalition boycotted the polls.
“This is not what we expected, but the court is sovereign and it judged that they conspired against the state,” lawyer Nabara Ycouba told a news conference.
“The law does not allow for an appeal. I will discuss with my clients what to do,” Ycouba said.
