The authorities in Niger say the deputy commander of the country's Republican Guard has been released after briefly being detained by some of his own men demanding the payment of wage arrears.

A presidential spokesman ,Colonel Amadou Moussa Gros said regular troops moved in after a confrontation lasting several hours in the capital, Niamey.

In a live broadcast on state television, the spokesman said grievances should be expressed through the proper channels, and fits of pique would not be tolerated.

In February, soldiers staged a week of protests in various parts of Niger over unpaid wages.